Processing

Processing is the preparation of finds for storage and analysis. The aim is to compile a stable, clean, ordered and documented assemblage comprising 100% of all the pottery recovered from every contextual unit.

Before examination of the pottery can take place, all material recovered should be cleaned, marked or labelled and packed in accordance with current standards for good practice (eg First Aid for Finds (Watkinson and Neal 2001, new version due 2024) and requirements of the identified repository. If necessary, consult a pottery specialist for advice.

Cleaning

1. Most well-fired pottery can be washed in clean, lukewarm water, gently using a soft brush (a new toothbrush or nailbrush with no rubber bristles) or fingers to remove soil from surfaces
2. All surfaces should be carefully cleaned, including the edges of sherds
3. If the pottery looks as if it would be vulnerable to normal cleaning methods, use fingers to assess its stability. If, after gentle wiping, the surface comes away, do not wash but leave the pottery to air dry. It may then be cleaned with a soft brush or by a trained conservator
4. Pottery selected for analysis that has surface or absorbed residues, burnt deposits or soot may be air dried but not brushed, washed or overly handled, before being wrapped in tinfoil
5. Pottery should be left to dry thoroughly before being bagged in clean, dry bags or before any further work is carried out
6. It is not necessary for friable pottery to be consolidated with agents such as diluted PVA, unless it is at great risk and has not been selected for scientific analysis. Consult with a trained conservator
7. All methods used for cleaning should be recorded and made available to the pottery specialist

Marking

1. Most pottery can be marked by writing on the internal surface of the sherd or vessel
2. Use permanent black or white ink as appropriate to contrast with the surface colour
3. Mark in small, legible writing on the surface of the sherd, not on fractured surfaces that may be joined together at a later stage
4. Avoid marking over decoration, use-marks or surface residues
5. Mark every sherd (that is big enough) with project and contextual unit identifiers. If required by the archive repository, additional information may include the year and the repository accession number
6. Mark pottery that is a registered find (also known as a small find) with the registered find identifier
7. Mark pottery recovered from soil samples with the sample identifier
8. Pottery that cannot be marked directly – for example, because it is too small, too friable or has been retained unwashed – should be packed as directed in the Packing section below
9. Mark pottery before it is sent to a pottery specialist for analysis

Packing

1. Pack pottery in polythene bags of appropriate size and strength. Do not force sherds into bags of an unsuitably small size. Do not bag large heavy sherds (such as stoneware) together with small delicate sherds (such as porcelain)
2. Do not pack sherds that have been taped together. It is not advisable to tape sherds together at any stage other than during illustration and only then where the surfaces of the pot are hard enough to withstand the removal of the tape. Tape should never be left on sherds for any length of time
3. Wrap fragile sherds in acid-free tissue paper, bag separately and, if appropriate, box separately for protection
4. Pierce polythene bags to allow the contents to 'breathe'
5. Only bag together pottery that is from the same contextual unit
6. Write on the outside of the bag the site, contextual unit / registered find / sample identifiers and any other information required by the laboratory or the repository
7. Place two rot-proof labels in each bag, marked in permanent ink with the project and contextual unit / registered find / sample identifiers, as appropriate, together with any additional information required by the laboratory or the repository
8. Do not use metal fastenings, such as paper clips or staples, to secure bags because these will corrode and compromise other packing materials, unless it is a requirement of the receiving repository
9. Store bags in contextual unit identifier order in suitably sized, robust cardboard boxes that meet the requirements of the repository. Do not pack boxes so full that pottery is in danger of being crushed, or the box lid is not secure. If bags are likely to move around inside the box during transit, pad the contents with a suitable material such as bubble wrap or acid-free tissue
10. Mark boxes on one end using a permanent marker – or if in temporary storage, a pencil – with the site identifier, the material type of the contents and the relevant contextual unit / registered find / sample identifiers. Boxes that will be transferred to a curatorial repository should be labelled or marked in accordance with their requirements

Documentation

1. Record pottery as part of the finds documentation procedure
2. Most pottery will be classified as a bulk find and the quantities present in each contextual unit should be recorded on bulk finds record sheets by material type (pottery), fragment count and weight in grams (see the Toolkit for Recording Archaeological Materials)
3. Record pottery that is a registered find in the registered finds index
4. Record pottery in lists of finds recovered from soil samples
5. Amend context and find records after assessment and analysis to include updated identifications. This might include, for example, changing a record from pottery to tile, or vice versa, or adding details of fabric or vessel types
6. Ensure adequate documentation relating to the movement of assemblages is maintained (eg within the project team, external specialists)