Archaeological ceramics discarded outside the Monastery of S provide valuable evidence of ancient human activity. Pottery is made from natural clay hardened by heat. Ceramics are especially useful to archaeologists for determining the date of a site because styles and forms changed over time. An expert who studies ancient pottery is called a ceramicist.

1. Archaeological
Ceramics
Discarded pottery outside the Monastery of S

2. Key ideas
1. objects are made of the natural material clay
hardened by heat
2. common and valuable evidence for ancient
human activity
3. especially valuable to archaeologists because
they can be used to determine the date of a
site
4. an expert in ancient pottery is called a
ceramicist

3. With a partner, list the
reasons why people
love to use clay.

4. Why do people love to use clay?
• widely available in the natural world
• easily workable
– by hand (e.g. pinch pot, coil pot)
– by wheel
– in a mould
• when fired it is waterproof and very durable
– reusable
• a creative medium (especially when combined
with decoration, burnishing, glazes etc.)

5. The lifecycle of pottery

6. Manufacturing a pot
1. Raw materials –
clay & water
2a. Hand
making
2b.
Wheel
making
2c.
Mould
making
3. Firing

7. Using a pot
• Dolia: extremely large fixed or
semi-fixed jars (400-300 l)
employed for storage of wine,
oil, grain
• Amphorae: portable jars/jugs
(6-150 l) employed for
packaging, distribution and
post-distribution of food
foodstuffs

8. Using a pot contd.
• Lamps: for lighting
• Cookwares: for cooking
of food & drink
• Utilitarian wares: for
preparing or storing
various other
substances (e.g.
perfume, paint, urine &
feces)
• Tablewares: for serving
food & drink

9. Recycling a pot
• Building material
• Writing surface
• Burial container
Amphora burial, Tomb 42, Necropolis 06, Roman Sanisara, Spain
Pottery used as fill for Hippodrome, Roman Caesarea, Israel

10. Recovering a pot
Excavation & find recording
Washing
Sorting & studying
Reconstructing
Publishing

11. Relative dating using pots
• How did Flinders Petrie use his typology of
Early Dynastic Period pots to help him date
them?
• Look at to find out:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-
static/digitalegypt//naqadan/pottypes.html

12. Absolute dating using pots
• Thermoluminescence Dating can be used to give
ceramics an absolute date.
• TL measures the accumulated radiation dose, of the
time elapsed since material (e.g. ceramics) containing
crystalline minerals were heated by measuring heat
and light
• Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6NxycC7Lco

13. Anatomy of a Vessel