Review of C. Orton and M. Hughes (2013) Pottery in Archaeology. Second Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2021
Recent excavations of the Via dei Sepolcri ceramic workshop in Pompeii provide an exceptional window into ancient Roman material culture. The remarkable ceramic objects found here, and importantly, the raw geological materials used in their production, afford a unique opportunity to gather information about each aspect of the organisation of the workshop and the ceramics production cycle, including those which are normally erased by the firing process. The exceptional nature of this site provides interesting insights into the system of raw material procurement, a facet poorly explored thus far due to the lack of ancient historical sources. The study is based on the investigation of 40 samples including pottery fragments, unfired, fired and overfired sherds and their source materials by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy; in addition, Sr–Nd isotopic and paleontological analyses completed the raw material characterisation. The workshop experienced two different periods of activity starting from the beginning of 1st century CE; in a first phase they produced a variegated repertoire of Thin Walled pottery using local alluvial sediments and clays imported from Ischia island. In a second phase (probably from 62 to 63 CE to 79 CE), the workshop became larger and more specialised, the Thin Walled types drastically decreased and the artisans exclusively utilized clayey sediments from outcrops near Mt. Picentini in the Salerno province. As complementary materials, the ceramic production also utilized local volcanic sands for tempering and decorative purposes along with a presumed imported red earth pigment for decorative finishing. Firing conditions, as inferred from mineral assemblages in the pottery, were not strictly controlled in either production phase as estimated firing temperatures vary widely from approximately 800 to 1000 ◦C. Likewise, atmospheric conditions in the kiln, as inferred from the variable occurrence of Fe2+ and Fe3+ oxides, were not carefully controlled in either production phase. When compared with data from the larger framework of coeval regional and extra-regional pottery productions, the data obtained suggest that the existing paradigm of the Exploitable Threshold Model, which implies a maximum distance of 7–8 km between the source of raw materials and their usage in production centres, may need to be revised by at least an order of magnitude where sea routes and ports were readily available, as was the case in Pompeii and the surrounding Bay of Naples.
Medieval Ceramics 17, pp. 3-11, 1993
Of Dunning's interests in iconographgy, exotica and trade, only the last two are touched on in this paper. A short account is presented of the organisation and traditions of medieval archaeology in ltaly, of the kinds of ceramic evidence available and of the apparent trends in the medieval pottery so far studied. In two north Italian regions pottery does not seem to reflect the pre-eminent role of their principal cities 'in the ramifications of . . . trade' as Dunning postulated. Cultural as well as economic history must have been a key determinant tn pottery usage.
Proceedings of the European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics ’07 (Katalin T. Biro ed.) , 2009
This paper presents an overview of the methodological procedures being employed by the Palatine East Pottery Project to study and publish the 12 tons of Roman pottery recovered in the Palatine East Excavations in Rome. By combining traditional and innovative procedures used for the classification, characterization, quantification, and presentation of the materials dated to ca. AD 50-450/500, the final result of the project will represent a methodologically ambitious exposition of a large pottery assemblage spanning nearly the entire period of the Roman Empire.
This paper aims to investigate how far Common Wares reflect social and economic change across Late Antiquity (4th-7th centuries AD) in the City of Rome. These relatively humble vessels used in daily life are greatly under- studied archaeologically, despite their potential for reconstructing domestic practices. The study of this ceramic class, which can rarely lead to the same results of fine wares and amphorae analysis (e.g. precise chronology and large scale economy reconstruction), can provide interesting information on the society who used it, especially by means of a consumption-oriented approach to their functions. However, the identification of the ceramic forms and their presumed function(s) is usually arbitrary carried out by scholars, mainly following previous studies and rarely using a contextual approach and other kind of analysis (such as use-alteration analysis for example). In this paper I will investigate the problematic issue concerning the identification of the function(s) of various different Common Ware vessels, and a particular, but emblematic, case study concerning some medium-sized vessels widespread in the late-antique contexts of Rome during the 5th century AD whose recent identification as chamber pots has completely changed our understanding of their role in the ancient society.
Roman pottery in the fifth century: a review of the evidence and its significance
2014
This paper provides a brief review of the evidence for fifth-century pottery production in a ‘RomanoBritish’ style. It examines theoretical and methodological issues before discussing a number of case studies. It concludes by reviewing the significance of Roman pottery in post-Roman contexts and directions for future research.
The Production and Distribution of Pottery at Pompeii: A Review of the Evidence
2016
This study, in two parts, reviews the evidence from Pompeii for the production and distribution of pottery. Part 1, the present article, considers the production of pottery. Evidence is scant for the pre-Roman period but includes a refuse deposit containing Black Gloss Ware wasters, a pottery kiln with associated Black Gloss Ware and commonware wasters, and a mold for the manufac ture of Italo-Megarian Ware bowls. There is substantially more material for the Roman period, including two fres coes depicting potters, three graffiti referring to potters, and the excavated remains of two modestly sized pottery production facilities, neither of which has been published in detail. The frescoes suggest that potters at Pompeii used rod-driven, single-wheel potter's wheels. The Via di Nocera facility, which manufactured lamps and com monware, is perhaps the most complete pottery produc tion facility from the Roman world, and it is possible to reconstruct the operations carried out in its ...