The purpose of the detailed record is to provide as much information as possible about the character and quantity of the assemblage, to a level sufficient to inform site-specific, local, regional, national and international studies of pottery technology, distribution, acquisition, use and deposition through time, at the levels of specific fabrics, through ware types to traditions and styles. Detailed recording should also enable the comparison of the pottery with assemblages of other types of finds, as well as informing interpretations of the site, the character of specific features and contexts, and the structural sequence.
Aims
- Characterise an assemblage in as much detail as possible
- Quantify an assemblage to as high a level as possible
Method
The methods listed below are described in more detail in Approaches to recording. See Downloads and resources for the Pottery record template, which includes the Detailed record form template.
- Characterise and sort the pottery according to these criteria:
- contextual unit identifier
- fabric type, in accordance with relevant fabric type series
- ware name/group to which that fabric type belongs
- ware date range (the earliest date and the latest date)
- sherd type (rim, body, base, etc)
- vessel class (bowl, flagon, jar, jug, etc)
- vessel form (carinated bowl, pear-shaped jug, etc)
- the form of component parts (rims, bases, feet, handles, spouts, etc)
- vessel size, by rim diameter, height (for complete profiles), and if it adds useful information, base diameter
- vessel wall thickness and girth – record these for prehistoric pottery
- surface treatment (burnishing, glaze, etc), by technique, character (eg glaze colour) and position on the vessel; for glaze also record whether it is splashed, run or covers the whole surface
- decoration, by technique, motif, and position on the vessel (where this is not already defined by the form/sherd type)
- non-decorative deliberate modifications such as potter’s stamps, post-firing tally/merchant marks, graffiti or repairs
- method of manufacture (hand-built, moulded, wheel-thrown), where not defined by the fabric type/description
- evidence for use (sooting, limescale, wear marks, etc)
- cross-fitting sherds from different contextual units and joins within the same context
- sherd condition (abraded, burned, water-worn, freshly broken)
- Quantify the pottery by
- sherd count
- sherd weight in grams
- number of vessels (eg Estimated Vessel Equivalent or EVE, maximum vessel count, minimum vessel count; see Approaches to recording)
- Identify and separate pieces that require
- illustration or photography
- scientific analysis
Results
- A digital detailed record of the pottery in every selected contextual unit
- Pottery selected for scientific analysis and/or illustration
A single stratigraphic or surveyed unit recorded separately in the field; eg an excavated deposit or feature, a grid square for surface collection.
The identifier given to a type of pottery that has been characterised by the substance it is made from, ie the clay and inclusions. Fabrics are usually denoted by codes, either as a unique number or as combinations of characters and numerals.
A reference collection of specimens of every pottery fabric identified within a specific area, accompanied by a descriptive catalogue.
All the pottery collected during an archaeological project.
A broad term used to characterise the overall form of a pot; eg bowl, jar, jug.
A type of pottery that is defined by a fabric or group of fabrics; eg Black-burnished ware or post-medieval redware.
