ARCH 1840: Ceramic Analysis for Archaeology
Thursdays 4-6:20pm
Rhode Island Hall Seminar Room (008)
Laurel Bestock
[email protected]
(401) 863-6291
Office Hours: Wednesday 10am-noon and by appointment
Rhode Island Hall, 209
The analysis and interpretation of ceramic remains allow archaeologists to accomplish varied ends:
establish a time scale, document interconnections between different areas, and suggest what
activities were carried out at particular sites. The techniques and theories used to bridge the gap
between the recovery of ceramics and their interpretation within archaeological contexts is the focus
of this seminar.
This course will begin with an examination of pottery technology: the physical and chemical
characteristics of clay and temper and the process of creating and firing useful ceramic vessels. We
will then work to understand how archaeologists study ceramics and use them to answer questions
about the past. The last third of the class will be structured around case studies presented by
students detailing the manufacture and use of particular types of ceramics of interest to course
participants. Throughout the course we will spend time acquiring some of the skills associated with
ceramic analysis, including drawing pottery, analyzing fabric, working with ceramics databases, and
understanding typologies and seriations. The goals of the course are to leave students able to utilize
ceramic data effectively in their research, and capable of participating as assistant ceramicists on
archaeological field projects.
A note about class: we will often be touching pots, sometimes ancient ones, and clay. I suggest wearing clothes you
don’t care about much to this class.
Texts:
Rice, Prudence M. 1987 Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. This is
the most comprehensive of the books currently available and will be our main text. It deals with
almost every topic related to the archaeological analysis of pottery. It is an excellent reference book.
Arnold, Dean A. 1985 Ceramic Theory and Cultural Process. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. A
more theoretical look at the intersection between ceramics and culture.
C. Orton, P. Tyers, and A. Vince. 1993 Pottery in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. More of a
practical handbook than a textbook, it will be useful in considering how to set up a ceramics lab and
the like.
I have not assigned every chapter of any of these three books, but even the parts that are not
assigned are extremely useful resources for you in writing papers. There will often be articles
assigned in addition to chapters from the texts. Students will be asked to help make pdfs of these
articles to post to Canvas for all to read.
Discussions and Readings
Required readings for the course are listed below by week. Read all of the required readings PRIOR
to the class meeting under which they are listed. All readings listed are required, not suggested. In
general, the first half of each class will be devoted to a discussion of readings, while the second half
of each class will be run like a field lab. There will be no lecture in this class. It is vital that all
students do the readings closely, and come prepared to ask questions, engage in debates, and be
substantial partners in discussion. The participation element of your grade is very large, and is
dependent entirely on your engagement in discussions. I reserve the right to change readings over
the course of the semester, though there will be no substantial increase in the total amount of
reading assigned. During “lab”, students will work individually, principally on drawing and fabric
analysis. There will be assigned readings and “lab” time during the third part of the class when we
are having presentations, subject to time.
Site Report Assignment
Analyze the presentation of a published corpus of ceramics in an archaeological site report (either a
monograph or a substantial preliminary report in a peer-reviewed journal; the ceramics must be a
significant enough component of the report to justify analysis. I will consider allowing you to assess
a digital publication, but that would have to be cleared with me first.) Points to consider include but
are not limited to: what was the report intending to do? Did it achieve it’s own goals? What is the
intended audience of the report? How useful is the report to someone studying related material? Are
the ceramics effectively integrated into the site report as a whole? Are the illustrations of the
ceramics effective? What questions are explicitly raised on the basis of the ceramics? What
questions are implied that might have been better addressed? Your write-up should be 4-5 pages
long. It need not cite any sources other than the analyzed report, but may if you feel it helpful.
Orton et al.’s short chapter on publication may be useful to you in preparing this assignment (and
you can laugh about its dated quality in referring to digital publication).
Due October 31st (scary!)
Individual Research Projects Using the techniques and methods studied in class, you will develop
an independent research project that involves the analysis of a pre-industrial ceramic assemblage,
type of vessel, or ware. You will address all aspects of the vessels, from fabric and production to
decoration, function, contexts within which they are found, chronology and any larger implications
regarding culture or trade. The results of this research will be presented to the class in a 20 minute
presentation, followed by five minutes of questions and discussion led by you. The criteria for
grading your presentation will include: identification of a reasonable topic and clear articulation of a
thesis; depth of research; and professionalism of presentation (including quality of powerpoint,
effective speaking, and appropriate responses to questions). You must assign one reading to the class
that is relevant to your presentation; this will help the class engage in meaningful discussion. That
reading must be distributed one week prior to your presentation. The same research will form the
basis of a paper of approximately 15-20 pages for the final project. We will talk in class before
presentations and papers about how to identify good topics, do appropriate research, give good
presentations, and write good papers of this nature. Topics, including a preliminary bibliography,
must be approved by email no later than October 10th.
Papers due December 5th.
Assessment
Site report assignment: 15%
Class participation: 30%
Individual Research Project presentation: 25%
Final paper: 30%
Schedule
Week 1 (Sept. 5): Pots in our lives
I will be at a conference this week. I ask that you look around at home and as you walk around
Providence. Think about how you use ceramics. Think about what other materials you use that play
roles that could be played by ceramics. Please bring to class next week one pottery object (such as a
mug, but much better if you can get more creative). If you happen to find any discarded pieces of
pottery while walking around (and it’s not uncommon, especially with all the construction on the
east side), pick those up and bring them along, too. We will use them to start thinking about
questions to ask of pottery, and what we need to know to answer those questions, on Sept. 12th.
Week 2 (Sept. 12): An Introduction to Archaeological Ceramics
Readings (to be read prior to class)
Rice Ch. 1
Orton et al Chapters 1 and 2
Ortega, Felipe V. (2005) “Ceramics for the Archaeologist: An Alternate perspective” in Engaged
Anthropology: Research Essays on North American Archaeology, Ethnobotany, and Museology, edited by M.
Hegmon and B. S. Eiselt, pp. 1-5. Museum of Anthropology, Anthropological Papers, No. 94, Ann
Arbor.
Week 3 (Sept. 19): Pottery Materials (Clay minerals, temper, and slip)
Readings
Rice Ch. 2
C. Orton, et al. Chapters 5, 10, 11
Arnold Chapter 2
P. Nicholson and H. Patterson (1985) “Pottery making in Upper Egypt: an ethnoarchaeological
study.” World Archaeology 17(2): 222-239.
Week 4 (Sept 26): The Physical Properties of Clay and Ceramics
Readings
Rice Ch. 3, 4, 11, 12
Orton, et al Chapters 3, 4, 7
Bronitsky, Gordon, and Robet Hamer. 1986. "Experiments in Ceramic Technology: The Effects of
Various Tempering Materials on Impact and Thermal-Shock Resistance." American Antiquity no. 51
(1):89-101.
Longacre, William A., Jingfeng Xia, and Tao Yang (2000) I Want to Buy a Black Pot. Journal of
Archaeological Method and Theory 7 (4):273-293.
Week 5 (Oct. 3): from clay to pot – formation and firing techniques
Readings
Rice Chapter 5
Roux, V., and M. A. Courty. 1998. "Identification of Wheel-fashioning Methods: Technological
Analysis of 4th-3rd Millennium BC Oriental Ceramics." Journal of Archaeological Science no. 25:747-763.
Gosselain, Olivier P. 1992. "Bonfire of the Enquiries. Pottery Firing Temperatures in Archaeology:
What For?" Journal of Archaeological Science no. 19:243-259.
Smith, A. Livingstone. 2001. "Bonfire II: The Return of Pottery Firing Temperatures." Journal of
Archaeological Science no. 28:991-1003.
Week 6 (Oct. 10): Ceramic Form and Function
Readings
Rice Chapter 7
D. Braun (1983). “Pots as Tools,” in Archaeological Hammers and Theories, edited by A. S. Keene and J.
A. Moore, pp. 107-134. Academic Press, New York
Heron and R. P. Evershed (1993). “The Analysis of Organic Residues and the Study of Pottery
Function,” in Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 5, M. Schiffer, ed., Tucson: University of Arizona
Press.
D. J. Hally (1983). “Use Alteration of Pottery Surfaces: An Important Source of Evidence for the
Identification of Vessel Function,” North American Archaeologist 4:3-26.
CHOOSE PRESENTATION DATES AND TOPICS
Week 7 (Oct. 17): Style and Design
Readings
Rice Ch. 8
Watson, P. J. (1977). “Design Analysis of Painted Pottery,” American Antiquity 42:381-393.
Washburn, Dorothy (1989). “The Property of Symmetry and the Concept of Ethnic Style,” in
Archaeological Approaches to Cultural Identity, S. J. Shennan, ed., pp. 157-173. London: Unwin Hyman.
M. Hegmon and S. Kulow (2005). “Painting as Agency, Style as Structure: Innovations in Mimbres
Pottery Designs from Southwest New Mexico,” Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Vol. 12(4),
pp. 313-344.
Skibo, James M., Michael B. Schiffer, and Nancy Kowalski. (1989). "Ceramic Style Analysis in
Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology: Bridging the Analytical Gap." Journal of Anthropological
Archaeology no. 8:388-409.
Week 8 (Oct. 24): Compositional and Provenance Studies
Readings
Rice Ch. 13
M. S. Tite (1999). Pottery Production, Distribution, and Consuption – The Contribution of the
Physical Sciences. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Vol 6(3), pp. 181-233.
J. B. Stoltman (2001). The Role of Petrography in the Study of Archaeological Ceramics. In, Earth
Sciences and Archaeology, edited by P. Goldberg, V. T. Holliday, and C. R. Ferring, pp. 297-326,
Plenum Publishers, New York
D. Glasscock (1992). Characterization of Archaeological Ceramics at MURR by Neutron Activation
Analysis and Multivariate Statistics. In Chemical Characterization of Ceramic Pastes in Archaeology, ediged
by H. Neff, 11-26. Monographs in World Archaeology, No. 7, Madison, WI: Prehistory Press.
R. J. Speakman and H. Neff (2005). The Application of Laser Ablation ICP-MS to the Study of
Archaeological Materials—An Introduction. In, Laser Ablation ICP-MS in Archaeology, edited by
Robert J. Speakman and Hector Neff. University of New Mexico Press
Berg, Ina. (2008). "Looking Through Pots: Recent Advances in Ceramics X-Radiography." Journal of
Archaeological Science no. 35:1177-1188.
Week 9 (Oct. 31): Sampling and Quantification
CERAMIC REPORT ANALYSIS DUE
Readings
Rice Ch. 9.2 to 9.4 (Pottery Quantification) and Ch. 10
Orton, et al Chapter 13
R. Whallon (1987). “Simple statistics,” in Quantitative Research in Archaeology: Progress and Prospects,
edited by Mark S. Aldenderfer, pp. 135-150. Newbury Park, NJ: Sage.
J. Baxter (2006). “A Review of Supervised and Unsupervised Pattern Recognition in Archaeometry,”
Archaeometry 48:671-694
Week 10 (Nov. 7): Classification and Chronology
Readings
Rice Ch. 9.1
Orton, et al. Chapter 14
E. Smith (1979) A Further Criticism of the Type-Variety System: The Data can't be Used. American
Antiquity 44(4): 822-826.
R. J. Whallon (1972) A New Approach to Pottery Typology. American Antiquity 37:13-33.
W. Marquardt (1978) Advances in Archaeological Seriation. Advances in Archaeological Method and
Theory 1: 257-314.
T. Culbert, T. Patrick and R. L. Rands (2007). Multiple Classifications: An Alternative Approach to
the Investigation of Maya Ceramics. Latin American Antiquity Vol. 18(2), pp. 181- 190.
Week 11 (Nov. 14): Explaining Ceramic Economy I (Production and Distribution)
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Readings
One to be assigned by each presenter
Rice Chapter 6
Orton, P. et al. Chapter 15
C. L. Costin (1991). Craft Specialization: Issues in Defining, Documenting, and Explaining the
Organization of Production. In, Archaeological Method and Theory, Vol. 3, edited by M. B. Schiffer, pp.
1-56. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
J. W. Eerkens, R. Bettinger (2001) Techniques for Assessing Standardization in Artifact
Assemblages: Can We Scale Material Variability? American Antiquity, Vol. 66(3), pp. 493-504
Week 12 (Nov. 21): Explaining Ceramic Economy II (Questioning Assumptions)
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Readings
One to be assigned by each presentor.
W. A. Longacre (1999) “Standardization and Specialization: What’s the Link?” in Pottery and
People: A Dynamic Interaction, edited by J. M. Skibo and G. M. Feinman, pp. 44-58. The University
of Utah Press, Salt Lake City
Adams, William Y. (1979) "On the Argument From Ceramics to History: A Challenge Based on
Evidence From Medieval Nubia." Current Anthropology. 20(4) 727-744.
D. E. Arnold, H. Neff, M. D. Glascock (2000) Testing Assumptions of Neutron Activation
Analysis: Communities, Workshops, and Paste Preparation in Yucatan Mexico. Archaeometry Vol. 42,
pp. 301-316
M. J. Blackman, G. J. Stein, P. B. Vandiver (1993) “The Standardization Hypothesis and Ceramic
Mass Production: Technological Compositional, and Metric Indexes of Craft Speciailizatrion at Ell
Leilan, Syria.” American Antiquity Vol. 58(1), pp. 60-80
Week 13 (Dec. 5): Ceramic Sociology
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
PAPERS DUE
Readings
Assignments by student presentors.
B. J. Mills (2007). Performing the Feast: Visual Display and Suprahousehold Commensalism in the
Puebloan Southwest. American Antiquity Vol. 72(2) 210-239.
W. A. Longacre and M. T. Stark (1992). Ceramics, kinship, and space: A Kalinga example. Journal of
Anthropological Archaeology, Vol. 11(2), pp. 125-136
Costin, Cathy L. 1996. "Exploring the Relationship between Gender and Craft in Complex Societies:
Methodological and Theoretical Issues of Gender Attribution." In Gender and Archaeology, edited by
Rita P. Wright, 111-140. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
M. L. Smith (1999). The Role of Ordinary Goods in Premodern Exchange. Journal of Archaeological
Method and Theory, Vol. 6(2), pp. 109-135.