The Discovery Of Pottery On An Archaelogical Site

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of the cultural insight pottery gives
enabling archaeologists to understand the society from which it came.

Perhaps the most obvious way of analysing pottery is by the naked eye but
its obviousness should not detract from its importance. By observing the
physical attributes of any artefact a great deal can be told of its
manufacture as well as its manufacturer. The practice of typology is of
great use when analysing pottery. By observing the shape and size of any
artefact it is often possible to date that artefact within a specific range
of dates. The size of this range is however not always as accurate as one
might wish it to be. Nevertheless, by using typology an educated guess can
be made regarding the creation of a piece of pottery this can then be
further applied to the site itself where the pottery was excavated. If
however, the piece of pottery is decorated in any way the date of creation
can be more accurate. The reason for this increase in accuracy is quite
simple. ...

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date
a process of building pots up using a series of clay coils was used. This
easily identifiable difference can immediately give the piece of pottery a
terminus post quem. It also gives a very clear picture of the technology
available and used by the craftsman. The physical characteristics of
pottery can also be used to identify even finer details of its production.
If the surface of a piece of pottery is vitrified or glazed it can be
assumed that it was fired in a heat in excess of 900 degrees Celsius which
is only possible in an enclosed kiln. the process of firing pottery in an
enclosed kiln produces complete oxidisation of the clay and therefore a
uniform colour can be seen ...

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