Description
Book SynopsisThis book explains the value of the study of pottery for the archaeologist. It shows how evidence about the production, trade and use of pottery can be obtained from a wide range of techniques, and gives practical advice about the initial study and archiving of excavated pottery. It is illuminated by case studies and backed up by an extensive bibliography.
Trade Review'… its aspiration [is] to enthuse and inspire … Remarkably, and despite the great breadth of its content, it does both of these things and should entice hordes into the pot shed and keep them effectively employed there. This is how textbooks should be written.' Antiquity
'… the organization of a volume of this scope is a daunting task. Readers can pick and mix relevant chapters. Allowing such flexibility in use without losing consistency is probably Pottery in Archaeology's biggest feat. In its second edition, [it] is still one of the most accessible and authoritative pottery manuals [and] will be of interest to any scholar of the Roman period who finds herself faced with a table of potsherds or … [trying] to get to grips with the value of pottery evidence.' Astrid Van Oyen, The Journal of Roman Studies
Table of ContentsPart I. History and Potential: 1. History of pottery studies; 2. The potential of pottery as archaeological evidence; Part II. Practicalities: A Guide to Pottery Processing and Recording: 3. Integration with research designs; 4. Life in the pot shed; 5. Fabric analysis; 6. Classification of form and decoration; 7. Illustration; 8. Pottery archives; 9. Publication; Part III. Themes in Ceramic Studies: 10. Making pottery; 11. Archaeology by experiment; 12. Craft specialisation and standardisation of production; 13. Pottery fabrics; 14. Form; 15. Quantification; 16. Chronology; 17. Production and distribution; 18. Pottery and function; 19. Assemblages and sites; Conclusion: the future of pottery studies.
