Glossary

Any programme of work that involves the collection and/or production of information about an archaeological site, assemblage or object in any environment, including in the field, under water, at a desk or in a laboratory. Examples of an archaeological project include: intrusive projects such as excavation, field evaluation, watching brief, surface recovery and the destructive analysis of objects; non-intrusive projects such as landscape or building survey, aerial survey, remote sensing, off-site research such as desk-based assessment and the recording of objects or object assemblages (Perrin et al 2014, 20).

One product of an archaeological project will be an archaeological archive.

All the pottery collected during an archaeological project.

A single stratigraphic or surveyed unit recorded separately in the field; eg an excavated deposit or feature, a grid square for surface collection.

A data management plan, or DMP, is a document which describes how you are planning to manage the data gathered through the delivery of a project, and what will happen to that data (eg. plans for sharing and preservation) once the project is complete.

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.

The shape of a pottery vessel or component thereof.

The Medieval and Later Pottery Research Group – https://www.medievalpottery.org.uk.

Prehistoric Ceramic Research Group – https://www.prehistoricpottery.org

Vessels made of fired clay, complete or fragmented. Some fired clay objects, such as roof furniture (eg finials or louvres), may be studied by pottery specialists and in such instances the Toolkit may be applicable. Other ceramic objects, such as loom-weights, bricks and tiles, are excluded from the Toolkit because they require different analytical approaches and are studied by different specialists.

An individual who is competent in, and specialises in, characterising, quantifying, analysing, interpreting and reporting on pottery assemblages. A pottery specialist will have developed expertise through the extensive study of pottery, and reporting in reputable, peer reviewed sources, with a demonstrable ability to work unsupervised. Membership of a pottery study group is a valuable way of acquiring and sharing knowledge, while competence can be demonstrated through accreditation by CIfA. Both are recommended.

A defined typology of ceramic types (fabrics and/or forms) that have been identified as being most common in a local or national setting.

A document that sets out the scope, aims and rationale for an archaeological project, usually with the purpose of informing the development of a project design or written scheme of investigation.

A document that outlines the objectives, scope, requirements, and constraints of a project. In archaeology, a project brief might be issued by the project commissioner or facilitator and should provide a clear description of the goals, expectations, and deliverables for a specific archaeological project. It serves as a reference point and guide for the project team and all stakeholders involved.

The document that includes a description of the scope, aims, objectives, tasks, strategies and methods of a project, the personnel involved and the timetable. This document may be called something different depending on the jurisdiction of the work, eg written scheme of investigation (WSI), method statement, programme of works, etc.

The person who instigates or commissions an archaeological project, often in either a planning role or through a funding agency, and who has a primary role in determining the aims and frame of reference.

The person who manages the project and the project team.

The people who collectively work with the project manager throughout the course of the project, agreeing the project design and strategies for the completion of project tasks.

Study Group for Roman Pottery – https://romanpotterystudy.org.uk

A broad term used to characterise the overall form of a pot; eg bowl, jar, jug.

A more specific way of classifying the overall form of a pot; eg carinated bowl, globular jar, pear-shaped jug.

A group of ware types that has been assigned a collective name, such as high medieval glazed sandy ware.

A type of pottery that is defined by a fabric or group of fabrics; eg Black-burnished ware or post-medieval redware.

A dump of pottery wasted (via failure during firing such as melting, exploding, fragmenting) in the kiln. These can comprise very large numbers of sherds, especially in industrial period contexts, leading to revised fieldwork strategies (see Historic England 2015).