"Daniel Albero Santacreu presents a wide overview of certain aspects of the pottery analysis and summarizes most of the methodological and theoretical information currently applied in archaeology in order to develop wide and deep analysis of ceramic pastes. The book provides an adequate framework for understanding the way pottery production is organised and clarifies the meaning and role of the pottery in archaeological and traditional societies. The goal of this book is to encourage reflection, especially by those researchers who face the analysis of ceramics for the first time, by providing a background for the generation of their own research and to formulate their own questions depending on their concerns and interests. The three-part structure of the book allows readers to move easily from the analysis of the reality and ceramic material culture to the world of the ideas and theories and to develop a dialogue between data and their interpretation."-- Read more...
Part I: Materiality, Archaeometry & Analythical Methods. Introduction: Ceramic Archaeometry and Paste Analysis
Sampling Strategies
Analytical Methods
Analytical Data and the Life Cycle of Ceramics --
Part II: Materials, Techniques & Chaînes Opératoires. Techniques, Chaîne Opératoire and Technology
Clay Selection and Procurement
Clay Extraction
Paste Preparation
Forming Methods
Drying Process
Surface Treatments
Firing Process
Raw Materials, Techniques and Sequences: Fabrics
The Role of Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archaeology in the Study of Ceramics --
Part III: The Social Context: Ceramic Technology, Archaeometry & Theoretical Trends. Analytical Levels and Scopes in Ceramic Archaeometry
Ceramic Technology and Theoretical Perspectives
Ceramic Ecology
Functionalist Approach
Social Theory of Technology
The Organisation of Pottery Production
Change and Stability in Pottery Production --
Final Reflections.
