Lab Quiz #3 - Ceramic Analysis

Question 1

Pottery

Answer 1

Objects made of baked (poorly-fired) clay

Question 2

When did people begin making pottery?

Answer 2

About 20,000 years ago
The technology was invented several times throughout human history

Question 3

What is pottery also known as?

Answer 3

Earthenware

Question 4

Pottery is fired between how many degrees?

Answer 4

600 - 1200 degrees Celsius

Question 5

What is ceramics also known as?

Answer 5

stoneware

Question 5

Ceramics

Answer 5

Well-fired Clay

Question 6

Ceramics are fired between how many degrees?

Answer 6

1100 - 1200 degrees celsius

Question 7

Ceramic use was widespread in the Old World

Answer 7

about 8000 years ago

Question 8

Ceramics was developed independently in the New World

Answer 8

4000 years ago in Ecuador and Colombia

Question 9

What is the emergence of ceramics associated with?

Answer 9

shifting cultures and time periods

Question 10

What we can learn - Diet

Answer 10

Chemical analysis of residues on the inside of vessels can indicate what was being stored and eaten

Question 10

What we can learn - Trade

Answer 10

Chemical signatures of material used to manufacture ceramics can be traced to a
source. Stylistic adoption from outside a particular area indicates influence as well

Question 11

What we can learn - Ideology/Religion

Answer 11

Many ceramics are found in burial contexts, and many have scenes relating to mythology or ideology

Question 12

What we can learn - Social organization

Answer 12

Types of craft production (made by individual or households/ workshops/small or large scale production) can indicate social organization

Question 13

Ceramic Form - Plate

Answer 13

Height less than 1/5 the diameter

Question 14

Ceramic Form - Dish

Answer 14

Height between 1/3 and 1/5 the diameter

Question 15

Ceramic Form - Bowl

Answer 15

Height no more than equal but no less than 1/3 the diameter

Question 15

Ceramic Form - Vase

Answer 15

Height greater than diameter and no restricted opening

Question 16

Ceramic Analysis - Classification

Answer 16

The ordering of phenomena into groups on the basis of shared attributes.

Question 17

Ceramic Form - Jar

Answer 17

Height greater than diameter and restricted opening

Question 18

Ceramic Analysis - Typology

Answer 18

The systematic organization of artifacts into types on the basis of shared attributes
- Product of the archaeologist or manufacturer?
Most common classification method in ceramic analysis.

Question 19

Ceramic Analysis - Type-variety analysis

Answer 19

A system of ceramic attributes that produces a classification system based upon formal and stylistic attributes

Question 19

Ceramic Analysis - Ware analysis

Answer 19

A system of ceramic analysis that produces
a classification based on technological attributes.
- Types are created under a ware using stylistic attributes
- Followed by varieties under a defined type

Question 20

Ceramic Analysis - Attribute

Answer 20

A minimal characteristic of an artifact such that it cannot be further subdivided; attributes commonly studied include aspects of form, style, decoration, color, manufacturing technology, and raw material.

Question 20

Ceramic Analysis - Technological Attributes

Answer 20

Attributes consisting of raw material
characteristics including overall shape, the shape of parts, and measurable dimensions – leading to formal typologies.

Question 21

Ceramic Analysis - Stylistic Attributes

Answer 21

Attributes defined by the surface characteristics of artifacts – color, texture, decoration, and so forth – leading to stylistic typologies.

Question 22

Ceramic Manufacture - Procurement of Raw Material

Answer 22

Clay is a fine-grained earthy material that develops plasticity when mixed with water, and is used to manufacture ceramics
The ideal qualities of a clay are that it is flexible when wet, yet hard and sturdy after firing
Clay may have been collected from local areas or acquired from long-distances

Question 23

Ceramic Manufacture - Preparation of Raw Material

Answer 23

LEVIGATING: In order to remove impurities, the clay is mixed with a lot of water, stirred, and left to settle. This process may be repeated several times
KNEADING or WEDGING: This eliminates large clumps of material and makes it more homogeneous
TEMPERING: In order to reduce uneven shrinking and cracking when drying, a temper is added to the clay

Question 24

Ceramic Manufacture - Forming the Vessel

Answer 24

Hand: A vessel can be simply shaped by hand into the piece one desires to make
Paddle and Anvil: Using a paddle on the outside and anvil on the inside to shape a vessel
Coiling: Creating long thin coils to be placed one upon another
Slab: Creating thick slabs which are shaped together into a vessel
Molding: Pressing the clay onto a form which produces the vessel ( a broken pot or
suspended bag)
Wheel Throwing: This consists of placing the paste onto a rapidly spinning surface.
-The rapid spinning produces evenly shaped vessels with walls of quite uniform thickness.

Question 25

Ceramic Manufacture - Pre-firing surface treatments

Answer 25

Smoothing and Scraping: To produce an even surface on the still pliable paste using wood, old potsherds, pieces of gourd, knives, and even corn cobs
Paddle and Anvil: The paddle can be wrapped with a number of different materials, giving a specific appearance to the outside of the vessel
Burnishing: When the piece is leather hard, a tool, often a very smooth stone or cloth, is used to smooth and shine the surface

Question 26

Ceramic Manufacture - Drying

Answer 26

Before a vessel is fired - must be well dried, or excessive steam created by trapped water will cause the vessel to crack or even explode
A potter will often let pottery sit for weeks or months before firing

Question 27

Temper

Answer 27

The requirements for ceramic manufacture are clay, temper, water and fuel
* Temper is inclusions in the clay. It is added to give the clay strength and workability and to counteract any cracking or shrinkage during firing
* Most common materials used for tempering are crushed shell, crushed rock, crushed pottery (grog), sand, grass, and straw
* Some temper may be aesthetic
* The finer the temper, the stronger the pottery. It usually makes up about 10-50% of the paste (the mixture of clay and temper)

Question 28

Ceramic Manufacture - Firing

Answer 28

Domestic fires – A ceramic can be placed in a camp fire and rotated around until it is baked
Bonfires – Ceramics are arranged in tiers and fuel is placed on top
Pit fires – A pit is dug, fuel is placed into it, and ceramics are placed on a rack on top. Additional fuel or earth is placed over the vessels to retain the heat from the firing process
Kilns – These specialized structures keep the fuel and the fire separated from the vessels, leading to better control of the firing process

Question 29

Pre-firing Decoration

Answer 29

There are two types of decoration, PLASTIC decoration, which alters the surface of the clay when wet, and non-plastic or SURFACE decoration, which adds a material such as a paint or glaze to the surface of the vessel

Question 30

Plastic Decoration

Answer 30

Applique – The addition of three dimensional ornamentation, such as anthropomorphic heads, nodes, or loop handles to the surface of the pot
Impression – Stamping or pressing something onto the surface of a pot.
Incision – Using a sharp object such as a stick to cut a line pattern into the surface of a vessel.
Excision - Cutting out a portion of the surface clay creating a type of bas relief background for a pattern.

Question 31

Surface Decoration

Answer 31

Slip: A slurry of very thin clay (mixture of clay and water) that is applied over the surface of a ceramic before firing. It often alters the texture and color of the surface of the vessel
Paint: Can be applied to a ceramic object either before or after firing. Natural paints are derived from minerals, plants, and animals
Glaze: A hard, shiny, smooth glassy coating (has a higher silica coating than slip so vitrifies when fired)

Question 32

Firing - Oxidizing

Answer 32

Result when the fire has sufficient oxygen to burn cleanly and with high heat, resulting in colors such as yellows, reds, and oranges. Complete oxidization produces a uniform color throughout the paste. Incomplete oxidization produces a “sandwich” paste, with light outsides and dark insides.

Question 33

Firing - Reducing

Answer 33

Result in insufficient oxygen supply to the fuel so that it does not burn cleanly. More soot and carbon from the fuel is added to the ceramic, resulting in colors such as blacks and greys (the temperature was too low or the duration of firing was too short)

Question 34

Ceramic sherds

Answer 34

Rather than complete vessels, are very common on archeological sites

Question 34

Rim sherds

Answer 34

Used to estimate the original size of the vessel openings, and what percentage of the rim is remaining

Question 35

Diagnostic sherds (rim/ base/ handle etc.)

Answer 35

Can inform us about the shape and
decoration of the original vessel

Question 36

Petrography

Answer 36

Thin sections of ceramics are analyzed using microscopy to identify the mineral and organic components
The identification of these minerals can produce a unique chemical signature which can be traced back to its source of material acquisition and original manufacture

Question 37

Diagnostic Sherds

Answer 37

Rim Sherd, Base sherd, Handle sherd, foot sherd

Question 38

Non-diagnostic

Answer 38

Body sherd (usually)

Question 39

Residue Analysis

Answer 39

Residues scrapped from the inside of vessels can be analyzed to ascertain what types of liquids or foods they initially held, such as brewed chocolate drinks.
Lipids (fats), starches (polymeric carbohydrate) and phytoliths (silica concretions formed in the intercellular regions of many plants) all preserve particularly well.