Appraisal/assessment record

Full pottery analysis is often preceded by an appraisal/assessment stage. Assessment is an intermediate stage between excavation and analysis/reporting and is applicable to all aspects of an archaeological project (ie in the context of excavation, it is applied to artefacts and environmental data as well as the contextual record).

The data collected during this stage can be the basis of a CIfA Type 2 report (see Appraisal/assessment (Type 2) in the Reporting section of this Toolkit, and the Advisory Checklist in the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting); this will help to determine the appropriate level of further analysis and reporting and to ensure that it is properly resourced, and/or provide basic information to inform other project tasks.

It is often the case, however, that small assemblages do not require assessment because it is often easy to establish what level of recording is required. In such instances it is recommended that the project proceeds directly to analysis, recording using either the basic and detailed record for the completion of either a Type 1 or Type 3 report.

Aims

1. Establish the size and broad character of the assemblage
2. Determine the level of analysis needed
3. Enable accurate estimation of the resources required for analysis
4. Provide sufficient information about the pottery (often chronological, ie spot dating) to facilitate other project tasks such as stratigraphic phasing or further archaeological mitigation

Method

Only begin the assessment after all finds have been processed. Assess the entire assemblage, including unstratified material.

The ideal approach is to lay out as much of the assemblage as possible at a time, in contextual unit identifier order. The material can then be reviewed and a record made of the pottery in each contextual unit, either as notes or in a more structured format.

Avoid generating data (‘intermediate’ levels of data generation and analysis) that cannot be carried forward to analysis. Such work can consume significant project resources with no benefit beyond this initial assessment stage itself. Also avoid generating data that will be recorded more fully in analysis. There may be no need, for instance, to record individual ware or fabric types as detailed quantities, although it is usually helpful to record quantities of broad categories, such as ware groups (eg late medieval sandy).

See Downloads and resources for the Pottery record template, which includes Spot date, Basic record and Detailed record form templates.

• assessment record should include
  • the ware types present in each contextual unit
  • unusual vessel forms
  • comment on the condition of the pottery, where relevant, such as the degree of fragmentation or abrasion
  • the chronological range of the pottery in each contextual unit
  • an estimated date of deposition, usually a terminus post quem, for each contextual unit
  • an estimated date of creation for each feature
  • the quantity of pottery in each contextual unit, usually derived from the bulk finds record; it should not be necessary to carry out quantification during assessment

Results

A digital record including

1. a broad description and quantification of the pottery in every contextual unit
2. the date range of the pottery in every contextual unit, based on the types present
3. an estimated date of deposition for every contextual unit

Assessment also provides an opportunity to sort out finds that have been misidentified, such as fragments of tile that were originally recorded as pottery.