This section sets out requirements for collection during fieldwork. It should be considered alongside other published standards and guidance for fieldwork, including those published by CIfA:
- CIfA Code, regulations and standards & guidance
- the relevant CIfA Toolkits including the Toolkit for Selecting Archaeological Archives
- other guidance including The Archaeologist's Guide to Good Practice – see References and further reading for more examples
Pottery assemblages may be recovered during most forms of intrusive archaeology project, including land surface or seabed collection, archaeological monitoring and recording (also referred to as watching brief), archaeological field evaluation and archaeological excavation. All the pottery found in every (also referred to as contextual unit should be collected in accordance with the strategies agreed during project planning. Unexpected finds, such as graves or waster dumps, may lead to the modification of strategies for collection, sampling or selection. Amendments to the project design or selection strategy should take place following discussions with the personnel who developed the strategies at the outset, which would normally include the project executive, the project manager, the pottery specialists and the repository curator.
During fieldwork productive communication between the archaeological team on site, project manager and the pottery specialist is key, and their shared purpose should be to ensure that any alterations in collection and/or processing strategies continue to guarantee that the maximum potential of the pottery assemblage can be achieved. Site visits and pottery scans by the pottery specialist help to inform work on site, collection and sampling strategies and to develop post-fieldwork methods. A visit from a pottery specialist could also provide an indication of chronology, identify special deposits and highlight potential problems of redeposition.
- Recover all the pottery found in every contextual unit; 100% collection will prevent any bias in the record and misinterpretation of the material
- Review and modify recovery techniques, especially during excavation. The excavator should be able to modify the collection strategy if special deposits are encountered. These include primary deposition of complete (or substantially complete) vessels, pottery associated with specific features such as graves or entrance ways and votive or structured deposits
- Modifications to the collection strategy could include
- the extension of the excavated area to determine the extent of significant deposits
- the excavation of a higher or lower percentage of individual features than originally agreed in the project design
- the use of sieving to recover as many finds as possible
- recording pottery in situ, including on drawn plans, photography and in 3D; sherds from crushed vessels should be numbered and bagged individually, to aid post-investigation reconstruction, refit analysis and interpretation
- Provide appropriately appointed, secure facilities and equipment for the cleaning, marking, labelling, documenting and packing of finds if these tasks are to take place on site
- There should be suitable expertise and materials for the packing, stabilisation and lifting of fragile finds such as complete vessels or crushed pots
- Label appropriately all material recovered by sieving
- Ensure contact details for trained conservators to manage the packing, stabilisation and lifting of fragile finds are available
- Review and modify the archive selection strategy as appropriate, ensuring that the requirements of the pottery specialist and the repository curator continue to be met
- Establish procedures for the secure transport of finds off site, if processing is to take place elsewhere