Kevin Gibbs | University of California, Berkeley (original) (raw)

Papers by Kevin Gibbs

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption ... more The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices
throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since
these mobile foragers underwent a process of economic diversification and intensification, eventually leading to
higher levels of sedentism across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Moreover, dynamic social settings and
expansion of the subsistence base at the start of the Holocene would have provided rich opportunities for novel
food combinations, and potentially, the rise of diverse regional cuisines. We investigated tool kits and resource
landscapes, and sampled pottery from a range of sites, phases and regions. We then applied organic residue
analysis to confirm the actual spatiotemporal patterning in cuisine. Although we predicted that ruminants and
nuts would have played a major role in local cuisine, especially in inland areas, our results indicate that aquatic
resources were central to pottery-based cuisines across the island, and that other food groups had probably been
processed in other ways. While organic residue analysis enabled us to reconstruct some major patterns in Jōmon
cuisine, we conclude that archaeologists will need to look “beyond the cooking pot” to fully appreciate the full
diversity of local foodways.

Sudan and Nubia, 2018

The site of Jebel Moya is well known for its mortuary complex that was first excavated by Henry W... more The site of Jebel Moya is well known for its mortuary complex that was first excavated by Henry Wellcome between 1911 and 1914 (Addison 1949). In 1973 J. Desmond Clark conducted a much smaller excavation at the site with the goal of checking the site’s archaeological sequence and chronology (Clark 1973, 59-60). Unfortunately, Clark did not publish the results of this excavation prior to his death in 2002.
In this brief article I examine the Jebel Moya pottery from Clark’s excavations, which is now housed in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (PAHMA) at the University of California, Berkeley. The article’s primary aim is to describe the collection with reference to previous discussions of pottery from Jebel Moya.

Sakhalin Island 0 km 2000 N Russia The Neolithic in northeast Asia is defined by the presence of ... more Sakhalin Island 0 km 2000 N Russia The Neolithic in northeast Asia is defined by the presence of ceramic containers, rather than agriculture, among hunter-gatherer communities. The role of pottery in such groups has, however, hitherto been unclear. This article presents the results of organic residue analysis of Neolithic pottery from Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East. Results indicate that early pottery on Sakhalin was used for the processing of aquatic species, and that its adoption formed part of a wider Neolithic transition involving the reorientation of local lifeways towards the exploitation of marine resources.

Arctic Anthropology, 2014

Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter... more Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel function at Nunalleq (GDN-248), a late Thule-period coastal village site in the Yup’ik area of Western Alaska. In total, 31 pottery sherds and five soil samples were analyzed using gas chromatography and/or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The ubiquitous presence of aquatic biomarkers in all the pottery sherds suggests that pottery function at the site was directly linked to the use of aquatic resources. This indication of relatively specialized use of pottery at Nunalleq is particularly interesting when considered within the context of the site’s broader subsistence strategies, which included use of both aquatic and terrestrial resources. These findings appear to support a more general association between higher-latitude pottery traditions and the use of aquatic resources, though this topic requires further research.

The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic a... more The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental settings, but became particularly prominent and much more widely dispersed after climatic warming at the start of the Holocene. Some archaeologists argue that this increasing usage was driven by environmental factors, as warmer climates would have generated a wider range of terrestrial plant and animal resources that required processing in pottery. However, this hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here, in one of the largest studies of its kind, we conducted organic residue analysis of >800 pottery vessels selected from 46 Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites located across the Japanese archipelago to identify their contents. Our results demonstrate that pottery had a strong association with the processing of aquatic resources, irrespective of the ecological setting. Contrary to expectations, this association remained stable even after the onset of Holocene warming, including in more southerly areas, where expanding forests provided new opportunities for hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader array of aquatic resources was processed in pottery after the start of the Holocene. We suggest this marks a significant change in the role of pottery of hunter-gatherers, corresponding to an increased volume of production, greater variation in forms and sizes, the rise of intensified fishing, the onset of shellfish exploitation, and reduced residential mobility. archaeology | early pottery | organic residue analysis | stable isotopes | Jomon

Where did pottery first appear in the Old World? Statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates sugge... more Where did pottery first appear in the Old World? Statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates suggests that ceramic vessel technology had independent origins in two different hunter-gatherer societies. Regression models were used to estimate average rates of spread and geographic dispersal of the new technology. The models confirm independent origins in East Asia (c. 16 000 cal BP) and North Africa (c. 12 000 cal BP). The North African tradition may have later influenced the emergence of Near Eastern pottery, which then flowed west into Mediterranean Europe as part of a Western Neolithic, closely associated with the uptake of farming.

The earliest pots in the world are from East Asia and date to the Late Pleistocene. However, cera... more The earliest pots in the world are from East Asia and date to the Late Pleistocene. However, ceramic vessels were only produced in large numbers during the warmer and more stable climatic conditions of the Holocene. It has long been assumed that the expansion of pottery was linked with increased sedentism and exploitation of new resources that became available with the ameliorated climate, but this hypothesis has never been tested. Through chemical analysis of their contents, we herein investigate the use of pottery across an exceptionally long 9,000-y sequence from the Jōmon site of Torihama in western Japan, intermittently occupied from the Late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene. Molecular and isotopic analyses of lipids from 143 vessels provides clear evidence that pottery across this sequence was predominantly used for cooking marine and freshwater resources, with evidence for diversification in the range of aquatic products processed during the Holocene. Conversely, there is little indication that ruminant animals or plants were processed in pottery, although it is evident from the faunal and macrobotanical remains that these foods were heavily exploited. Supported by other residue analysis data from Japan, our results show that the link between pottery and fishing was established in the Late Paleolithic and lasted well into the Holocene, despite environmental and socio-economic change. Cooking aquatic products in pottery represents an enduring social aspect of East Asian hunter–gatherers, a tradition based on a dependable technology for exploiting a sustainable resource in an uncertain and changing world.

The Neolithic is a key topic in the study of Old World prehistory but how the Neolithic is define... more The Neolithic is a key topic in the study of Old World prehistory but how the Neolithic is defined varies between regions. In East

Antiquity, 2004

In 2002 and 2004, the University of Toronto conducted excavations in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan... more In 2002 and 2004, the University of Toronto conducted excavations in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan, where survey in 2000 had discovered Neolithic artefacts (Maher & Banning, 2001). These produced evidence for Late Neolithic occupation with some artefacts recalling the Wadi ...

Lipid residue analysis has become a common technique for the identification of the organic residu... more Lipid residue analysis has become a common technique for the identification of the organic residues remaining from resources processed in archaeological ceramic vessels. However, recovery of lipids from the vessels can be problematic in cases of high age and/or very small sample amounts. Here we show that acid-catalyzed direct extraction and methylation offers an efficient way to obtain enough fatty acids for quantification and stable carbon isotope analysis. We compared this technique with the more conventional technique of ultrasonically aided solvent extraction followed by silylation, which gave no measurable yields. Both techniques were applied on the absorbed residues of six extremely small sample amounts of less than 0.1 g of ceramic powder each from the Sankakuyama I site, Kyushu, South Japan (~13,900-13,300 cal BP). They belong to one of the oldest so far reported pottery traditions in the world, the Japanese Incipient Jōmon. δ 13 C analysis of the identified target C 16:0 and C 18:0 fatty acids indicated that the examined vessels were used for food-processing purposes, pointing to a significant contribution of terrestrial animal sources in the residues.

This article introduces a method of exploratory analysis of the geographical factors influencing ... more This article introduces a method of exploratory analysis of the geographical factors influencing large-scale innovation diffusion, and illustrates its application to the case of early pottery dispersal in the Old World. Regression techniques are used to identify broad-scale spatiotemporal trends in the innovation's first occurrence, and regression residuals are then analyzed to identify geographical variation (climate, biomes) that may have influenced local rates of diffusion. The boundaries between the modeled diffusion zones segregate the western half of the map into a Eurasian hunter-gatherer pottery-using zone affiliated by cultural descent to the Siberian center of innovation, and a lower-latitude farming and pastoralist zone affiliated by cultural descent to the north African center of innovation. However, the correlation coefficients suggest that this baseline model has limited explanatory power, with geographical patterning in the residuals indicating that habitat also greatly affected rates of spread of the new technology. Earlier-than-predicted ages for early pottery tend to occur in locations with mean annual temperature in the range approximately 0-15°C. This favorable temperature range typically includes Mediterranean, grassland, and temperate forest biome types, but of these, the Mediterranean and the temperate deciduous forest biomes are the only ones on which regression residuals indicate earlier-than-predicted first observed pottery dates.

Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and subarctic hunter-... more Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and subarctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel function at Nunalleq (GDN-248), a late Thule-period

Compared to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), evidence for potentially symbolic imagery is rare... more Compared to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), evidence for potentially symbolic imagery is rare in the Late Neolithic of the Southern Levant, consisting primarily of fi gurines and decorated pottery. While the symbolic roles of fi gurines have occasionally been discussed, studies of decorated pottery have usually focused on developing chronologies or defi ning the boundaries of archaeological cultures. In an attempt to better understand pottery symbolism this paper suggests that over the course of the Late Neolithic pottery decoration became more varied but also became simpler. These developments may refl ect an increase of symbolic ambiguity. The decline in fi gurine use over the course of the Late Neolithic similarly suggests a focus on ambiguous symbols during the later part of the period. A tentative suggestion is that this shift may be related to a change in community organization. Some early Late Neolithic sites are relatively large and each one may have comprised a single, spatially contiguous community. In the later part of the period, at least in some areas, community groups may have been dispersed across several small sites. A symbolic system emphasizing ambiguity may have facilitated the occasional interactions that were a part of such dispersed communities.

As in more northerly parts of the Fertile Crescent, archaeologists have largely neglected the Lat... more As in more northerly parts of the Fertile Crescent, archaeologists have largely neglected the Late Neolithic of the southern Levant relative to the preceding Pre-Pottery Neolithic and succeeding Chalcolithic periods. Even its basic chronology and cultural typology remain contested. Our understanding of social, economic, and symbolic dimensions of the Late Neolithic is even poorer. However, there have been some recent strides toward gleaning a preliminary understanding of social organization, settlement pattern, economy and even ritual and symbolism, albeit with heavy dependence upon a rather small database. There are hints at important changes in economic and social strategies, including a shift to increasingly trexible social relationships, which possibly correspond to the entrenchment of full dependence on mixed farming.

This article examines Siberia's increasingly important role in the study of the emergence of pott... more This article examines Siberia's increasingly important role in the study of the emergence of pottery across northern Eurasia. The world's earliest pottery comes from Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer sites in East Asia. This material is typically seen as disconnected from later pottery traditions in Europe, which are generally associated with sedentary farmers. However, new evidence suggests that Asian and European pottery traditions may be linked to a Hyperborean stream of hunter-gatherer pottery dispersals that spanned eastern and western Asia, and introduced pottery into the prehistoric societies of northern Europe. As a potential bridge between the eastern and western early pottery traditions, Siberia's prehistory is therefore set to play an increasingly central role in one of world archaeology's most important debates.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption ... more The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices
throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since
these mobile foragers underwent a process of economic diversification and intensification, eventually leading to
higher levels of sedentism across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Moreover, dynamic social settings and
expansion of the subsistence base at the start of the Holocene would have provided rich opportunities for novel
food combinations, and potentially, the rise of diverse regional cuisines. We investigated tool kits and resource
landscapes, and sampled pottery from a range of sites, phases and regions. We then applied organic residue
analysis to confirm the actual spatiotemporal patterning in cuisine. Although we predicted that ruminants and
nuts would have played a major role in local cuisine, especially in inland areas, our results indicate that aquatic
resources were central to pottery-based cuisines across the island, and that other food groups had probably been
processed in other ways. While organic residue analysis enabled us to reconstruct some major patterns in Jōmon
cuisine, we conclude that archaeologists will need to look “beyond the cooking pot” to fully appreciate the full
diversity of local foodways.

Sudan and Nubia, 2018

The site of Jebel Moya is well known for its mortuary complex that was first excavated by Henry W... more The site of Jebel Moya is well known for its mortuary complex that was first excavated by Henry Wellcome between 1911 and 1914 (Addison 1949). In 1973 J. Desmond Clark conducted a much smaller excavation at the site with the goal of checking the site’s archaeological sequence and chronology (Clark 1973, 59-60). Unfortunately, Clark did not publish the results of this excavation prior to his death in 2002.
In this brief article I examine the Jebel Moya pottery from Clark’s excavations, which is now housed in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (PAHMA) at the University of California, Berkeley. The article’s primary aim is to describe the collection with reference to previous discussions of pottery from Jebel Moya.

Sakhalin Island 0 km 2000 N Russia The Neolithic in northeast Asia is defined by the presence of ... more Sakhalin Island 0 km 2000 N Russia The Neolithic in northeast Asia is defined by the presence of ceramic containers, rather than agriculture, among hunter-gatherer communities. The role of pottery in such groups has, however, hitherto been unclear. This article presents the results of organic residue analysis of Neolithic pottery from Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East. Results indicate that early pottery on Sakhalin was used for the processing of aquatic species, and that its adoption formed part of a wider Neolithic transition involving the reorientation of local lifeways towards the exploitation of marine resources.

Arctic Anthropology, 2014

Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter... more Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel function at Nunalleq (GDN-248), a late Thule-period coastal village site in the Yup’ik area of Western Alaska. In total, 31 pottery sherds and five soil samples were analyzed using gas chromatography and/or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The ubiquitous presence of aquatic biomarkers in all the pottery sherds suggests that pottery function at the site was directly linked to the use of aquatic resources. This indication of relatively specialized use of pottery at Nunalleq is particularly interesting when considered within the context of the site’s broader subsistence strategies, which included use of both aquatic and terrestrial resources. These findings appear to support a more general association between higher-latitude pottery traditions and the use of aquatic resources, though this topic requires further research.

The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic a... more The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental settings, but became particularly prominent and much more widely dispersed after climatic warming at the start of the Holocene. Some archaeologists argue that this increasing usage was driven by environmental factors, as warmer climates would have generated a wider range of terrestrial plant and animal resources that required processing in pottery. However, this hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here, in one of the largest studies of its kind, we conducted organic residue analysis of >800 pottery vessels selected from 46 Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites located across the Japanese archipelago to identify their contents. Our results demonstrate that pottery had a strong association with the processing of aquatic resources, irrespective of the ecological setting. Contrary to expectations, this association remained stable even after the onset of Holocene warming, including in more southerly areas, where expanding forests provided new opportunities for hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader array of aquatic resources was processed in pottery after the start of the Holocene. We suggest this marks a significant change in the role of pottery of hunter-gatherers, corresponding to an increased volume of production, greater variation in forms and sizes, the rise of intensified fishing, the onset of shellfish exploitation, and reduced residential mobility. archaeology | early pottery | organic residue analysis | stable isotopes | Jomon

Where did pottery first appear in the Old World? Statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates sugge... more Where did pottery first appear in the Old World? Statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates suggests that ceramic vessel technology had independent origins in two different hunter-gatherer societies. Regression models were used to estimate average rates of spread and geographic dispersal of the new technology. The models confirm independent origins in East Asia (c. 16 000 cal BP) and North Africa (c. 12 000 cal BP). The North African tradition may have later influenced the emergence of Near Eastern pottery, which then flowed west into Mediterranean Europe as part of a Western Neolithic, closely associated with the uptake of farming.

The earliest pots in the world are from East Asia and date to the Late Pleistocene. However, cera... more The earliest pots in the world are from East Asia and date to the Late Pleistocene. However, ceramic vessels were only produced in large numbers during the warmer and more stable climatic conditions of the Holocene. It has long been assumed that the expansion of pottery was linked with increased sedentism and exploitation of new resources that became available with the ameliorated climate, but this hypothesis has never been tested. Through chemical analysis of their contents, we herein investigate the use of pottery across an exceptionally long 9,000-y sequence from the Jōmon site of Torihama in western Japan, intermittently occupied from the Late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene. Molecular and isotopic analyses of lipids from 143 vessels provides clear evidence that pottery across this sequence was predominantly used for cooking marine and freshwater resources, with evidence for diversification in the range of aquatic products processed during the Holocene. Conversely, there is little indication that ruminant animals or plants were processed in pottery, although it is evident from the faunal and macrobotanical remains that these foods were heavily exploited. Supported by other residue analysis data from Japan, our results show that the link between pottery and fishing was established in the Late Paleolithic and lasted well into the Holocene, despite environmental and socio-economic change. Cooking aquatic products in pottery represents an enduring social aspect of East Asian hunter–gatherers, a tradition based on a dependable technology for exploiting a sustainable resource in an uncertain and changing world.

The Neolithic is a key topic in the study of Old World prehistory but how the Neolithic is define... more The Neolithic is a key topic in the study of Old World prehistory but how the Neolithic is defined varies between regions. In East

Antiquity, 2004

In 2002 and 2004, the University of Toronto conducted excavations in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan... more In 2002 and 2004, the University of Toronto conducted excavations in Wadi Ziqlab, northern Jordan, where survey in 2000 had discovered Neolithic artefacts (Maher & Banning, 2001). These produced evidence for Late Neolithic occupation with some artefacts recalling the Wadi ...

Lipid residue analysis has become a common technique for the identification of the organic residu... more Lipid residue analysis has become a common technique for the identification of the organic residues remaining from resources processed in archaeological ceramic vessels. However, recovery of lipids from the vessels can be problematic in cases of high age and/or very small sample amounts. Here we show that acid-catalyzed direct extraction and methylation offers an efficient way to obtain enough fatty acids for quantification and stable carbon isotope analysis. We compared this technique with the more conventional technique of ultrasonically aided solvent extraction followed by silylation, which gave no measurable yields. Both techniques were applied on the absorbed residues of six extremely small sample amounts of less than 0.1 g of ceramic powder each from the Sankakuyama I site, Kyushu, South Japan (~13,900-13,300 cal BP). They belong to one of the oldest so far reported pottery traditions in the world, the Japanese Incipient Jōmon. δ 13 C analysis of the identified target C 16:0 and C 18:0 fatty acids indicated that the examined vessels were used for food-processing purposes, pointing to a significant contribution of terrestrial animal sources in the residues.

This article introduces a method of exploratory analysis of the geographical factors influencing ... more This article introduces a method of exploratory analysis of the geographical factors influencing large-scale innovation diffusion, and illustrates its application to the case of early pottery dispersal in the Old World. Regression techniques are used to identify broad-scale spatiotemporal trends in the innovation's first occurrence, and regression residuals are then analyzed to identify geographical variation (climate, biomes) that may have influenced local rates of diffusion. The boundaries between the modeled diffusion zones segregate the western half of the map into a Eurasian hunter-gatherer pottery-using zone affiliated by cultural descent to the Siberian center of innovation, and a lower-latitude farming and pastoralist zone affiliated by cultural descent to the north African center of innovation. However, the correlation coefficients suggest that this baseline model has limited explanatory power, with geographical patterning in the residuals indicating that habitat also greatly affected rates of spread of the new technology. Earlier-than-predicted ages for early pottery tend to occur in locations with mean annual temperature in the range approximately 0-15°C. This favorable temperature range typically includes Mediterranean, grassland, and temperate forest biome types, but of these, the Mediterranean and the temperate deciduous forest biomes are the only ones on which regression residuals indicate earlier-than-predicted first observed pottery dates.

Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and subarctic hunter-... more Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and subarctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel function at Nunalleq (GDN-248), a late Thule-period

Compared to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), evidence for potentially symbolic imagery is rare... more Compared to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), evidence for potentially symbolic imagery is rare in the Late Neolithic of the Southern Levant, consisting primarily of fi gurines and decorated pottery. While the symbolic roles of fi gurines have occasionally been discussed, studies of decorated pottery have usually focused on developing chronologies or defi ning the boundaries of archaeological cultures. In an attempt to better understand pottery symbolism this paper suggests that over the course of the Late Neolithic pottery decoration became more varied but also became simpler. These developments may refl ect an increase of symbolic ambiguity. The decline in fi gurine use over the course of the Late Neolithic similarly suggests a focus on ambiguous symbols during the later part of the period. A tentative suggestion is that this shift may be related to a change in community organization. Some early Late Neolithic sites are relatively large and each one may have comprised a single, spatially contiguous community. In the later part of the period, at least in some areas, community groups may have been dispersed across several small sites. A symbolic system emphasizing ambiguity may have facilitated the occasional interactions that were a part of such dispersed communities.

As in more northerly parts of the Fertile Crescent, archaeologists have largely neglected the Lat... more As in more northerly parts of the Fertile Crescent, archaeologists have largely neglected the Late Neolithic of the southern Levant relative to the preceding Pre-Pottery Neolithic and succeeding Chalcolithic periods. Even its basic chronology and cultural typology remain contested. Our understanding of social, economic, and symbolic dimensions of the Late Neolithic is even poorer. However, there have been some recent strides toward gleaning a preliminary understanding of social organization, settlement pattern, economy and even ritual and symbolism, albeit with heavy dependence upon a rather small database. There are hints at important changes in economic and social strategies, including a shift to increasingly trexible social relationships, which possibly correspond to the entrenchment of full dependence on mixed farming.

This article examines Siberia's increasingly important role in the study of the emergence of pott... more This article examines Siberia's increasingly important role in the study of the emergence of pottery across northern Eurasia. The world's earliest pottery comes from Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer sites in East Asia. This material is typically seen as disconnected from later pottery traditions in Europe, which are generally associated with sedentary farmers. However, new evidence suggests that Asian and European pottery traditions may be linked to a Hyperborean stream of hunter-gatherer pottery dispersals that spanned eastern and western Asia, and introduced pottery into the prehistoric societies of northern Europe. As a potential bridge between the eastern and western early pottery traditions, Siberia's prehistory is therefore set to play an increasingly central role in one of world archaeology's most important debates.

Throughout prehistory the Circumpolar World was inhabited by hunter-gatherers. Pottery-making wou... more Throughout prehistory the Circumpolar World was inhabited by hunter-gatherers. Pottery-making would have been extremely difficult in these
cold, northern environments, and the craft should never have been able to disperse into this region. However, archaeologists are now aware that
pottery traditions were adopted widely across the Northern World and
went on to play a key role in subsistence and social life. This book sheds
light on the human motivations that lay behind the adoption of pottery, the challenges that had to be overcome in order to produce it and the solutions that emerged. Including essays by an international team of scholars, the volume offers a compelling portrait of the role that pottery cooking technologies played in northern lifeways, both in the prehistoric past and in more recent ethnographic times.