Reporting

Different types of pottery reports will be appropriate depending on the project design, the project life cycle, and the assemblage itself. The Toolkit for Specialist Reporting separates these into three types of reports and contains an Advisory checklist explaining what each type should include:

• Type 1: Description, for relatively insignificant assemblages
• Type 2: Appraisal/assessment, where there is the potential for further work
• Type 3: Full analysis, following detailed analysis of significant assemblages

There are differences between a Type 2 report (Appraisal/assessment), and Types 1 (Description) and 3 (Full analysis). A Type 2 report focuses on establishing the potential of the assemblage for further work and determining the level of analysis required – and the resources required to perform that analysis. It informs the type of recording – basic or detailed, or a mixture applied to different aspects of the assemblage – and reporting that is appropriate depending on the project design, the size and character of the assemblage, and the wider project aims. A Type 2 report may not be necessary for certain assemblages if it is clear to the specialist what level of recording and reporting is required and the resources to do so are already available.

Type 1 and Type 3 reports use the data recorded via the basic or detailed record to inform particular lines of enquiry, presenting the results of that analysis and providing text that describes the processes and results of data-gathering, analysis and interpretation. A Type 3 pottery report brings together all the strands of evidence gathered up to that point. The overall aim is to describe the assemblage, present the data collected during analysis, set out how those data have been interpreted and relate the evidence to such things as interpretations of the pottery assemblage, the evidence of other finds, the structural evidence of the site and the character of the site as a whole, eg as a dwelling, industrial site or shipwreck. See Approaches to reporting for more detailed information on what to include.

For all types of report, a pottery specialist has an obligation to present their results in such a way that the data can be disseminated and are easily accessible for use in wider studies, and the conclusions can be re-worked by other researchers. As such, a report should consist of descriptive text, tables and illustrations and clearly relate to the material archive in order to facilitate access to pottery for future researchers. Adopting consistent methods of presentation, eg in the composition of data tables and illustrations, facilitates the comparison of different reports.

If the decision is made to produce a synthetic or integrated report then an associated specialist report should also be produced for the project archive, to be made available through online resources such as the Archaeology Data Service, the project website or other digital media.

Processes in pottery reporting

Before reporting begins, the project manager should ensure that the pottery specialist

1. has a copy of the latest version of the project design
2. is aware of the timetable and deadlines for completing the report
3. has all the information required to interpret the assemblage (see Processes in pottery recording) according to the level of report commissioned. This could additionally include site structural details (eg final site matrix and phasing), results of analysis of associated assemblages (eg ceramic building material, clay pipes, coins), and the absolute dates (eg from radiocarbon analysis) of any contextual units

In addition, for Type 3 level reporting, the project manager should ensure that the pottery specialist

4. has copies of all pottery illustrations
5. has the data resulting from analysis elsewhere, eg by a Samian specialist or from scientific analysis

Prior to reporting the pottery specialist should

1. ensure that they have been provided with all the information they need, as listed above
2. ensure that the report is created in digital form in accordance with the data management plan
3. liaise with any scientific analysts on the requirements for reporting and making the results available
4. liaise with illustrators on specific requirements

Sources

A report should identify and reference

1. any standards and accepted methodologies used in the analysis, recording and interpretation of the pottery
2. accepted typologies and type series used to characterise the pottery (see Downloads and resources)
3. key assemblages used to uphold or enhance the characterisation and interpretation of the pottery
4. published reports or research articles that have informed the interpretation of the assemblage
5. relevant national, regional, period and pottery research frameworks (see Downloads and resources)

Dissemination

Pottery reports are often presented as separate sections or chapters within site or project reports. The pottery specialist should be consulted during any editing of their original text. The pottery specialist should also be notified of the publication of the project, whether in physical or digital form, and sent copies of the published material.

If passages of the full report are used to compile an integrated pottery or finds report, the pottery specialist should be consulted to ensure the content accurately reflects their original text and given the opportunity to make amendments if necessary.

Authorship should be credited to the pottery specialist throughout.

Copyright laws and regulations should be observed throughout and copyright should be agreed between the commissioning body and the pottery specialist.

Appraisal/assessment (Type 2)

This type of report focuses on establishing the potential of the assemblage for further work and determining the level of analysis required – and the resources needed to perform that analysis. As per the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting, a Type 2 report will ‘usually be based on a record of the character and quantity of the assemblage and consider its quality in relation to states of preservation, chronological coherency, site formation processes, types of objects present and interpretations of social and economic conditions.’ In this regard, it contains information not required in a Type 1 or Type 3 report.

For pottery assemblages, Appraisal/assessment reports should also provide sufficient information about the pottery (often chronological) to facilitate other project tasks such as stratigraphic phasing or further archaeological mitigation.

The report should meet the requirements of the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting Type 2 Advisory checklist. It should include

1. a summary of the overall character and significance of the assemblage, highlighting groups that are of particular interest
2. a discussion of the levels of analysis required for the overall assemblage and specific parts, such as key groups or site phases
3. a written assessment of the potential of the pottery to address or contribute to the research aims of the project.
4. a written assessment of potential to address questions that relate specifically to the pottery, whether defined at the site assemblage level (eg what is the evidence for pottery production and how important is this within the socio-economic framework of the site?) or more widely (eg how does the present assemblage contribute to understanding of the regional distribution of ware x?)
5. a detailed definition and quantification of component tasks for specialist analysis and reporting

Once the potential has been established and resulting research questions defined, the scope and level of analysis required has to be determined. Specialist time and other resource allocations need to be made for all the necessary component tasks of recording, interpretation and reporting, including illustration and any additional specialist work such as scientific analysis.

Description (Type 1)

Type 1 reports are intended for relatively insignificant assemblages. Assemblages may be considered insignificant for example because of the way in which they were recovered (eg a watching brief has recorded little associated structural evidence) or because they are badly fragmented and mostly redeposited. As such, the level of recording will necessarily be limited, likely using the basic record, but still be detailed enough to produce a report that will inform an understanding of the site and any structural evidence. This type of recording and reporting is not ideal and should be uncommon. See the Advisory checklist in the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting for what needs to be included.

For certain assemblages, a Type 1 report may replace the need for a Type 2 report where it is clear to the specialist prior to assessment which recording methodology and report type is most appropriate.

Full analysis (Type 3)

A Type 3 report provides a comprehensive interpretation of a pottery assemblage, in accordance with the recommendations made during assessment and the aims and objectives stated in the project design and post-excavation methodology. Type 3 reports will provide information 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 analysis 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.

The report should meet the requirements of the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting Type 3 Advisory checklist.

Content

The pottery report should include any or all of the following depending whether it is a Type 1, 2 or 3 report. The list below provides the content from section 2.5.5 in A Standard for Pottery Studies in Archaeology (PDF, Barclay et al 2016), with additional content and headings from the Toolkit for Specialist Reporting’s Advisory checklist. See the Advisory checklist to identify which of the following to include for the type of report you are producing.

Document information

1. title of report incorporating subject and project name, name of author (including qualifications), date of data collection/recording, date of analysis/report completion

Introduction

2. an introduction to the nature of the assemblage, including total quantities
3. the aims of the report

Methodology

4. a description of the recording system used, including where different levels of analysis have been applied to different parts of the assemblage
5. a description of any sampling strategy or method of recovery employed
6. the methods of analysis employed
7. the method of quantification employed
8. full integration of any scientific analysis

Quantification

9. quantification of assemblage by fragment count and weight as a minimum
10. higher-level quantification by at least one other appropriate and defined method (eg Estimated Vessel Equivalent (EVE), Minimum Number of Vessels (MNV), Estimated (or Maximum) Number of Vessels (ENV); see Approaches to recording)

Characterisation

11. description of fabric types and/or ware types, depending on the level of analysis employed
12. description of the vessels present in each fabric/ware type, including where possible:
    • methods of manufacture
    • form types
    • surface treatment
    • decoration
    • size ranges
    • evidence for use

Contextualisation

13. discussion of evidence for pottery disposal and site formation processes, based on sherd condition and fragmentation

Interpretation

14. a detailed discussion of the assemblage in its own terms, including the relative proportions of different fabrics, wares and vessel types of different dates
15. a discussion and assessment of the assemblage in its local, regional and wider economic and social context
16. a discussion of the assemblage as evidence for the way of life represented at the site over time, including how pottery was obtained and utilised
17. references to other evidence from the site and a discussion of the significance of the pottery alongside objects made of other materials

Significance, potential and recommendations

18. statement of significance and potential of material/assemblage
19. statement of contribution of material/assemblage to project research aims
20. statement of contribution to national/regional/period/pottery research frameworks
21. statement of new material/assemblage-led research aims
22. recommendation for further recording and analysis
23. recommendation for illustration

Presentation

24. an illustrated catalogue
25. photographs or other illustrations of individual vessels or groups
26. tabulated data and, where appropriate, graphs
27. bibliographic references
28. acknowledgements
29. if necessary, for instance if it is not mentioned elsewhere in the publication, the location of the archive, including scientific specimens