Pottery technology and function

Review of: Verdan, Samuel -Theurillat, Thierry - Kenzelmann Pfyffer, Anne (ed.): Early Iron Age Pottery: A Quantitative Approach. Proceedings of the International Round Table organized by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (Athens 2008)

by Lieve Donnellan

The Origins of Pottery as a Practical Domestic Technology: Evidence from the Middle Queen Creek Area, Arizona

by Christopher Garraty

Garraty, Christopher P. (2011)

The site of Finch Camp in the middle Queen Creek area of Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, has produced some of the... more The site of Finch Camp in the middle Queen Creek area of Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, has produced some of the earliest evidence of utilitarian pottery use in the US Southwest. Using multiple lines of evidence from vessel morphology, surface alteration, and minute fatty acid residues in vessel walls, I evaluate the nascent function of the earliest vessels (mostly neckless jars, or tecomates) and infer a diachronic process of functional expansion from about 350 B.C.–A.D. 400. This evidence provides robust evidence for evaluating various theoretical models of pottery origins. I argue that utilitarian pottery was initially adopted in connection with the intensification of small particulate plant foods (e.g., seeds, grains) and increasing household-level control over resources. Further, vessel functions may have expanded during the early centuries A.D. in response to women’s task-scheduling conflicts stemming from increasing residential stability and growing reliance on low-level horticulture.

The Politics of Commerce: Aztec Pottery Production and Exchange In the Basin of Mexico, AD 1200--1650

by Christopher Garraty

2006 The Politics of Commerce: Aztec Pottery Production and Exchange in the Basin of Mexico, A.D. 1200-1650. Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University, Tempe. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms.

The relationships between market and political institutions have varied in different times and places, but no market... more The relationships between market and political institutions have varied in different times and places, but no market system was (or is) devoid of political involvement. The contrasting approaches of the Aztec empire and Spanish colonial regime to the Basin of Mexico market system are instructive about the ways that commercial agents (producers, traders) respond to “top-down” pressures from state elites to steer and direct the commercial economy to their political advantage. The results of this study suggest that the market system in the Basin flourished under the Aztec empire but suffered a decline after the Spanish conquest. To establish a window on state-market relationships, I focus on pottery production and exchange (plainware and decorated wares) prior to and during the period of Aztec imperial rule (ca. A.D. 1200-1520) and subsequent colonial period (ca. A.D. 1520-1650) based on compositional analyses and analyses of form specialization and attribute standardization. In the fragmented political landscape that preceded the Aztec empire, most plainware producers manufactured on a relatively small scale and exchanged their wares locally through a system of small, non-hierarchical market networks that likely operated independently of elite regulation. Conversely, decorated Black-on-orange and redware serving vessels were manufactured on a larger scale in fewer production loci and exchanged over a wider area, indicating a hierarchical exchange system that operated under elite auspices. During the Aztec empire, the consolidation of power under the imperial capitals of Tenochtitlan and Texcoco brought about a more stable milieu for inter-polity interaction. In this context, plainware and Black-on-orange production both involved large-scale, high-intensity production industries centered at or near four principal market centers in the Basin, including the imperial capitals. Tenochtitlan became by far the most prominent and prolific locus of pottery production and export, especially for Black-on-orange vessels and comales (tortilla griddles). After the Spanish conquest, the large-scale pottery production and export industries evident in the Late Aztec period collapsed. Production was generally less intensive, smaller in scale, and probably mostly geared toward local consumers. Tenochtitlan—now Mexico City—was no longer the principal hub of indigenous commerce and became increasingly geared toward the Spanish overseas economy.

Pottery Firing Structures (Kilns) of the Indus Civilization During the Third Millennium B.C.

by Heather M.-L. Miller

1997. In:  Prehistory & History of Ceramic Kilns. Edited by Prudence Rice and W. David Kingery.  Ceramics and Civilization Series, Volume VII. Columbus, OH: American Ceramic Society. Pp. 41-71.

Focusing on firing structures and potters’ workshops from Mehrgarh, Nausharo, Harappa, and Mohenjo-daro, I present an... more Focusing on firing structures and potters’ workshops from Mehrgarh, Nausharo, Harappa, and Mohenjo-daro, I present an overview of the current knowledge about Indus pottery firing technology during the third millennium BC.

Dibujo arqueológico: reconstrucción en 3D de cerámica

by Francisco José López Fraile

El dibujo tradicional arqueológico puede ser mejorado gracias a las reconstrucciones de 3D. Esta metodología puede aplicarse a todo tipo de cerámica, aunque es en series cerámicas donde más potencial de optimización supone el trabajo.
Se presenta un ejemplo de loza de época franquista (del "Auxilio Social") documentada en unos sondeos en el patio del Palacio del Infante Don Luis de Boadilla del Monte.

CERAMICA DIN LOCUINŢA NR. 5 DE LA SULTANA ‘MALU ROŞU’. ANALIZĂ PRIMARĂ (I)

by Catalin Lazar

Co-authored with T. Ignat, V. Opris, M. Voicu, R. Andreescu

Roppa, A. 2012: L'età del Ferro nella Sardegna centro-occidentale. Il villaggio di Su Padrigheddu, San Vero Milis, in FOLD&R. http://www.fastionline.org/docs/FOLDER-it-2012-252.pdf

by Andrea Roppa

CALL FOR PAPERS - Craft and People - Conference at the British Museum 1-2 Nov 2012

by Sara Strack

Call for papers for upcoming conference at the British Museum, 1-2.11.2012:
CRAFT AND PEOPLE - Agents of Skilled Labour in the Archaeological Record
Organized by Sara Strack, Marion Uckelmann, and Ben Roberts

Wietenberg ohne Mykene? Gedanken zu Herkunft und Bedeutung der Keramikverzierung der Wietenberg-Kultur

by Laura Dietrich

co-authored with Oliver Dietrich, published in PZ, 86, 67-84.

The fine wares of the Wietenberg Culture in Transylvania during the Middle Bronze Age are characterised by... more The fine wares of the Wietenberg Culture in Transylvania during the Middle Bronze Age are characterised by compositions
of uniform, repetitive ‚spiraloid‘ or ‚meandroid‘ motifs. These patterns – referred to collectively as ‚spiral ornamentation‘ –
were often associated with the Mycenaean region. A detailed examination of the ceramic decoration of the Wietenberg
Culture reveals that it is not actually spiral ornamentation, but rather rows of hook patterns, which may be abstract zoomorphic
motifs. A comparison with the genuine spiral ornamentation of the Mycenaean Culture further supports the thesis
of there being a fundamental difference in the type of ornamentation. The pottery ornamentation of the Wietenberg
Culture is thus independent of southern prototypes. However, this does not mean that there was no contact between the
Wietenberg Culture and Mycenaean Greece. But this contact remained at the level of prestige objects such as ‚Mycenaean‘
swords, bone objects with wave motifs and the bronzes decorated in Hajdúsámson-Apa style, which were limited to a
small social elite and were furthermore distributed far beyond the Wietenberg Culture.

"Pottery production and mechanism of workshops in Archaic Clazomenae", in B. Schmaltz, M. Söldner (eds.), Griechische Keramik im kulturellen Kontext (Muenster 2003), 254-257

by Yasar Ersoy

Refuge or dwelling place? The MBA fortification wall of Roca (Lecce, Italy): the spatial and functional analysis of Postern C

by Teodoro Scarano

published in: Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche LXI 2011, 95-122

The Bronze age site of Roca is a long-lived coastal settlement
ever protected by a large fortification wall,... more The Bronze age site of Roca is a long-lived coastal settlement
ever protected by a large fortification wall, which was repeatedly destroyed, rebuilt and restored over the centuries between the Middle and Final Bronze Ages. The analysis of the remains of the Late Apennine (MBA) fortifications have revealed a plan of the enceinte with a monumental main entrance and at least five postern gates. The defensive wall was destroyed by a great fire, probably subsequent to a siege, which caused the collapse
of the stonework structures, and burned down the settlement almost completely. The excavation of the rubble filling from the posterns’ long corridors and the Monumental Gate showed that the original contents of these spaces were sealed in their functional situation as it was shortly before the destruction. The most extraordinary discovery came from Postern C: several vessels were grouped in three different areas. In a fourth zone, at the western end of the corridor, another group of vessels was associated to seven complete human skeletons, two adults, a juvenile and four children. Apparently, during the siege the members of this group had taken refuge within the corridor and finally tried to hide behind a heap of vessels. Unfortunately, they all died from asphyxia caused by the fire set to the fortification wall. The archaeological record from Postern C provides a unique possibility to correlate the quantitative, qualitative and spatial data relative to the artifacts assemblages, with the human group which had brought in those objects in order to survive in that space, had planned their spatial distribution, and had used them.

Early Neolithic Pottery from Blagotin, Central Serbia: A Use-Alteration Analysis

by Jasna Vukovic

Late Neolithic Pottery Forming Techniques: Pythos from House 01/06 from Vinča

by Jasna Vukovic

In Serbian, summary in English.

The vessel forming is one of the most important steps in the process of pottery production. Although pottery fragments... more The vessel forming is one of the most important steps in the process of pottery production. Although pottery fragments are the most abundant kind of material at Late Neolithic sites the
manufacturing techniques have almost not been studied at all. Hand building of ceramic vessels,contrary to common opinion, could be rather complex and often includes combination of few
techniques, while production sequence ends with diverse procedures of modification and surface treatments. Taking into account ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological data it could be
assumed with considerable certainty that few different techniques were combined in the Late Neolithic period (coil-building and slab-building techniques).
Analysis of surface markings, traces of certain procedures applied in the vessel forming process, fracture properties and breakage patterns of the pythos from house 01/06 from Vinča provided basis for reconstruction of manufacturing process. It consisted of four stages: 1. coil-building of lower section of the vessel up to the shoulder. When the walls were in leather-hard stage, they were trimmed from the inside using sharp implement to obtain desired thickness; 2. shaping of the shoulder curve was executed in such a way that potter added roughly shaped lumps of clay vertically on the slightly dried lower section. This procedure was repeated few times until the desired thickness was achieved and that is clearly noticeable at the fracture of stratified structure; 3. modeling of upper shoulder section using same procedure but the top edges of the slabs are slightly flattened; 4. modeling of neck and rim.
The results of analysis of the pythos from Vinča help considerably in understanding pottery manufacturing technique in the Late Neolithic. From the methodological point of view it is particularly important to emphasize that by examining fragment shapes and characteristics of fracture as well as the breakage patterns it is possible to reconstruct distinct steps in pottery manufacture.

POTTERY ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE NEOLITHIC

by Jasna Vukovic

Pottery fragments are the most numerous finds on Neolithic sites throughout the Central Balkans. Chronological systems... more Pottery fragments are the most numerous finds on Neolithic sites throughout the Central Balkans. Chronological systems in the Neolithic archaeology were based upon ceramic forms and ornamental techniques. Unfortunately, many other aspects of pottery were neglected. Pottery ethnoarchaeology, along with experimental and interdisciplinary research, must become the main source of information about certain aspects of production and use of ceramic vessels, as well as in reconstruction of social organization, labor division and labor investment in ceramic production, vessel use-life, breakage and discard patterns, among others. Methodology of use-wear trace identification and their distribution on the Early Neolithic pottery from the site of Blagotin was established according to the results of ethnoarchaeological research among traditional communities: abrasion, carbon deposition and surface attrition. Ethnoarchaeological evidence was also the main source of information in research of technological aspects of pottery production, i.e. forming techniques and firing procedures, as well as emergence of standardization and craft specialization on the Late Neolithic pottery from Vinča.

NEOLITHIC FINE POTTERY: PROPERTIES, PERFORMANCE AND FUNCTION

by Jasna Vukovic

This paper discusses the concept of fine pottery, including the criteria for its identification, the relations between... more This paper discusses the concept of fine pottery, including the criteria for its identification, the relations between surface treatment and fine fabric, and its physical and mechanical properties. The main focus is the frequency of fine pottery and its position in the ceramic assemblage in the Early and Late Neolithic, as well as identification of the functions that fine bowls may have had. The differences in percentage referring to the fine pottery frequency in the assemblages of the Early and Late Neolithic are explained by unequal use frequencies, while differences in functions by different ways of living and food habits of the Neolithic population.

Палагута И.В. Проблемы изучения керамики как индикатора культур эпохи бронзы Среднего Поднепровья // Бронзовый век Восточной Европы: Характеристика культур, хронология и периодизация. Материалы международной научной конференции «К столетию периодизации В.А. Городцова бронзового века южной половины Восточной Европы». Самара, 2001. С. 253–257.

by Ilya Palaguta

Archaeometric characterization of amphorae and bricks of Imperial Age found in a roman villa near the Luzzi town (Cosenza, Calabria, Italy)

by Carmelo Colelli

The present work illustrates the results of the archaeometric characterization of 10 amphorae fragments of Imperial... more The present work illustrates the results of the archaeometric characterization of 10 amphorae fragments of Imperial Roman age and 10 bricks of the same period, found at Muricelle, nearby
Luzzi, close to Cosenza in Calabria (Italy). The sherds include amphorae of different shape and production, some of which Keay LII type. Petrographic study on ceramic fragments using the optic microscope, mineralogical analysis on powders through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and chemical analysis with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were carried out. Clayey materials from outcrops nearby the archaeological site undergone chemical, mineralogical and granulometric analysis, so as to define their characteristics as potential raw materials for the ceramic production. The realization of experimental firing of the clays, provide information on the technology and firing temperature of the ceramic production. The obtained results indicate the presence of a probably local production represented by all the bricks; the majority of the amphorae, inclusive of the KLII type amphorae, may have been produced in Calabria on the basis of petrographic evidence, while only three amphorae may be considered as imported ceramics because of the petrographical and chemical composition.

Палагута И.В. О технологии изготовления и орнаментации керамики в начале развитого Триполья (ВI) // Матерiали та дослiдження з археологiï Схiдноï Украïни. Вип. 4. Луганськ: вид-во СНУ Iм. В.Даля, 2006. С. 75–92.

by Ilya Palaguta

Palaguta I.V. About pottery making and decorating technology during the Tripolye BI period Palaguta I.V. About pottery making and decorating technology during the Tripolye BI period

Палагута И.В. Этноархеология и изучение древнего гончарства // Археология Казахстана в эпоху независимости: итоги, перспективы: материалы международной научной конференции, посвященной 20-летию Независимости Республики Казахстан и 20-летию Института археологии им. А.Х. Маргулана КН МОН РК. Т. 3. Алматы, 2011. С. 185–191.

by Ilya Palaguta

ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY AND THE STUDIES ON PREHISTORIC POTTERY-MAKING

Etnoarhaeology provides ample opportunity to... more ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY AND THE STUDIES ON PREHISTORIC POTTERY-MAKING

Etnoarhaeology provides ample opportunity to study various aspects of the prehistoric pottery production. Etnoarheological data are necessary to create adequate reconstruction in the areas of studies on techniques and technologies of pottery making, as well as the interpretation of ornaments, and for modeling the process of ceramic usage and its accumulation in settlement layers, distribution of pottery, and of the development and interactions of ceramic traditions in homogeneous or heterogeneous ethnic environment. The paper presents parallels between the results of ethnographic observations and the results of using similar approaches in the studies of archaeological assemblages.

Comments on Some Ceramic Pastes of the Central Peninsular Gulf Coast

by Jeffrey M. Mitchem

Published in "The Florida Anthropologist" Vol. 39(1-2):68-74, March-June, 1986.