Anth 140
Summer 2007
Ceramics
In many parts of the world, ceramics are considered good temporal markers, which are
useful in dating archaeological components and sites. Ceramics have been used to
describe and document many aspects of culture, which include settlement patterns,
linguistics, trade, socio-political organization, and information/exchange networks.
TECHNOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
Technological attributes are related to the manufacture of ceramic vessels. The selection
of raw clays, preparation of paste, and firing, all involve a complex series of decisions in
order to successfully manufacture a useable vessel.
Ceramic paste refers to the prepared mass of clay that is transformed into a material used
in the construction of pottery. Paste can be described as fine, medium, or coarse grained,
but also in terms of porosity, quantity of temper, or organic material.
Material added to clay in the formation of vessels or other objects is called temper.
Temper is added to clay in order to reduce rapid shrinkage and/or expansion during the
firing process. Temper allows for a more even distribution of heat energy through the
ceramic paste during firing and/or use of the vessel. Uneven heat distribution can result in
cracking and failure during the manufacturing process. A variety of materials can be used
as ceramic temper such as crushed shell, sand, crushed stone, organic fibers, and crushed
pottery.
Often in archaeological sites only pieces of ceramic vessels are found. These pieces are
referred to as ceramic sherds.
Anth 140
Summer 2007
MORPHOLOGY
Morphological attributes are related to the form and shape of a vessel.
The bottom of a vessel is referred to as the base. Portions of a base found at
archaeological sites are known as basal sherds. Basal sherds are usually the thickest
sherds from a vessel.
Body sherds typically lack morphological attributes and occur as either flat or slightly
curved. The curvature of body sherds can serve as an indication of the general vessel
shape.
Vessel collars are located below the rim and above the neck. When present, collars
usually consist of thickened areas that provide extra relief to the vessel wall profile.
Occaisionally, collars are used as decoration with the addition of nodes or lobes.
The lip is the uppermost portion of the vessel. Lips can be either flattened or rounded.
Rims typically refer to the vessel opening. Rims are usually described in terms of their
profile as either straight, inverted (curves inward), or everted (curves outward).
Necks are located below the rim and above the shoulder. When present, neck sherds are
relatively thin compared with sherd thickness on other parts of the vessel.
Vessel shoulders typically include the widest portion of the vessel.
Vessel size: The volume of a pottery vessel often is a product of the vessel function.
Storage, cooking, and processing activities often require different kinds of containers.
Sizes can range from very large vessels for storage to miniature containers for medicines
or other precious materials.
Anth 140
Summer 2007
SURFACE TREATMENT AND STYLISTIC ATTRIBUTES
Cord marking is fairly common in the early ceramic horizons identified in most parts of
the world. A cord marked surface is often highly textured and marked by overlapping
rows of cord impressions. The cordage was usually woven from plant or animal materials
and either wrapped around a paddle or a stick. Cord marking is found on decorated and
undecorated pots. On decorated pots, the cord markings are often arranged into horizontal
or vertical bands or zones. On undecorated vessels, cord marking may have been used to
create a surface bond between clay coils as part of the manufacture process.
Glaze consists of glassy or metallic chemicals which are painted onto a vessel surface.
When fired, the chemicals in the glaze vitrify and create a glassy surface, which
strengthens the vessel body.
Incised decoration: This method of decoration utilizes a sharp instrument such as a
bone, shell, or stone tool. Incised decorations usually include rows or patterns of straight
lines, which are arranged into zones. Incised decoration can be determined
microscopically by the characteristic 'v-shaped' valleys, which result from using a sharp
instrument.
Painting: Mineral and vegetal pigments can be used to create a variety of paints. In some
parts of the world, painted decorations replaced incised or stamped decorations.
Single point dentate: Single point dentate decorations usually consist of a tool which is
repeatedly pressed into the clay surface. Single point dentate tools can include fingernails, reeds, and/or sticks or carved bone tools. Often, the single point dentate impression
is repeated to create uneven bands or rows.
Shell stamping: Shell edges are often used in
pottery decoration.
Anth 140
Summer 2007
Slip: Slip consists of extremely fine grained clay particles which are sorted out from the
clay matrix by soaking in water. Slip is often applied to exterior and interior vessel
surfaces as a method for strengthening the bonds between coils and also to create a
smooth surface.
Smoothing: Smoothing of vessel surfaces can be achieved by wiping, burnishing, or the
application of slip.
Stamp and drag: A method of shell
impressed decoration in which the shell
edge is impressed and then dragged.
This method often obliterates the wavy
line characteristic of shell stamping.
Courtesy of
Jonathan M. Lizee, Tara Prindle, Thomas Plunkett
University of Connecticut