I.1 Definition of Methodology according to the Archaeological Context
p. 13-14
Texte intégral
1The approaches suggested in this manual are not intended to be final but rather represent common situations encountered in the study of ceramics from archaeological contexts. It is important to remember that every context is unique and those working with ceramics will be challenged by different issues and expected to adapt their methodology to the context being investigated.
2The study of ceramic finds is always affected by the kind of investigation being carried out (e.g. survey, test trenches or an excavation, be it a settlement, temple, or cemetery). The aims of the study are typically decided upon by the senior ceramic specialist or finds officer in collaboration with the field or project director before starting (Orton et al. 1993, pp. 39-43). The equipment and the suitable strategy to achieve such aims should be organised prior to the commencement of fieldwork, ensuring that sufficient counting and description sheets, as well as an adequate zone for cleaning, drying and storing, are available.
3Ceramics from diverse contexts provide various kinds of information. Their immediate value might be quite specific and directly related to the aims of the project, such as dating a settlement in a surveyed region. However, this should not be reflected in selective handling of material, which should always be consistent and unbiased. Materials may be of use to future researchers and stored accordingly.
4Materials may provide information on chronological matters (i.e. dating a specific context or determining the lifespan of a settlement or region), social or economic aspects (i.e. determining settlement use and day-to-day activities), as well as technology, such as skills, knowledge and complexity (i.e. documenting specific techniques, such as the use of the potter’s wheel or glazing).
Archaeological Survey
5Material collected during field survey commonly originates from the ground surface. Depending on the kind of survey, the assemblage may be from a specific, intensively investigated area or from a much wider geographical region. These differences are likely to have an effect on the methodology of collection. In the first case, it may be preferable to collect diagnostic sherds only, whilst in the second, collection according to a transect may be best (i.e. collecting along a single line, with surveyors spaced at regular intervals from one another). The definition of “diagnostic” sherds should be clearly defined and communicated to those collecting e.g. rims, bases and handles, as well as decorated body fragments.
6Assemblages from survey might comprise multi-period finds or differing single-period sites, possibly requiring many specialists or only those with multi-period knowledge for the identification of sherds. This is necessary for the construction of a regional chrono-typology (see Section iv.2). Comparison with assemblages from neighbouring sites or regions is fundamental for the identification of ceramic types. The study of survey material will help determine the lifetime of the investigated area, the localisation of settlements for each period and possibly phases of occupation and abandonment.
Test Trenches
7Test trenches are the first glimpse of what to expect from a large-scale excavation and help provide a general overview of the chronology for a site. Here, material can provide preliminary dating for stratigraphy. Material recovered from test trenches should therefore be treated in the same way as that from archaeological excavation (see infra).
Archaeological Excavation
8If survey or test trenches have already been undertaken, the archaeologist will benefit from initial studies of the pottery and its relationship to the stratigraphic sequence.
9Different kinds of contexts will furnish diverse information useful in the interpretation of finds: for example, a collapsed ceiling could offer a homogeneous ceramic assemblage corresponding to a specific phase of a building, whereas the accumulated fill of a building or pit will more likely provide a multi-period assemblage.
10All material from an excavated area should be documented and specialists used for further in-depth study and analysis. It is possible to apply selective approaches if a chrono-typology for a site has already been established. However, this does not mean that diagnostic sherds should be discarded. They should be stored for future study. Refitting analysis should include investigations across stratigraphic layers, as these are frequent and help to reconstruct the full morphological repertoire within an assemblage.
11Even in the case of mixed layers, ceramics can provide useful estimates of the beginning or end of a deposition event.
12In collaboration with field archaeologists, it is possible to observe evolution in decoration, shape, and technology during the lifespan of a building or site within a ceramic assemblage. This helps in the construction of the chrono-typology and provides important guidance for future excavation.
Auteurs
Researcher, Institut français du Proche-Orient, Beyrouth, Lebanon.
Associated member, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin, Germany.

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