Overview
- Offers cutting-edge, nontraditional theoretical and methodological frameworks for classifying pottery assemblage
- Provides relevant case studies to guide researchers and students in formulating their own studies of archaeological pottery assemblages
- Gives both archaeological and ethnoarchaeological examples
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About this book
Pottery is the most ubiquitous find in most historical archaeological excavations and serves as the basis for much research in the discipline. But it is not only its frequency that makes it a prime dataset for such research, it is also that pottery embeds many dimensions of the human experience, ranging from the purely technical to the eminently symbolic.
The aim of this book is to provide a cutting-edge theoretical and methodological framework, as well as a practical guide, for archaeologists, students and researchers to study ceramic assemblages. As opposed to the conventional typological approach, which focuses on vessel shape and assumed function with the main goal of establishing a chronological sequence, the proposed framework is based on the technological approach. Such an approach utilizes the concept of chaîne opératoire, which is geared to an anthropological interpretation of archaeological objects.
The author offers a sound theoretical background accompanied by an original research strategy whose presentation is at the heart of this book. This research strategy is presented in successive chapters that are geared to explain not only how to study archaeological assemblages, but also why the proposed methods are essential for achieving ambitious interpretive goals.
In the heated debate on the equation stating that “pots equal people”, which is a rather fuzzy reference to assumed relationships between (mostly) ethnic groups and pottery, technology enables us to propose with conviction the equation “pots equal potters”. In this way, a well-founded history of potters is able to achieve a much better cultural and anthropological understanding of ancient societies.Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
Table of contents (6 chapters)
Reviews
“Most of the methods proposed in the book are practiced by many anthropological archaeologists. … I prefer understanding and appreciating distinct approaches as a more workable practice in future research and scholarly conversations.” (Rita P. Wright, American Antiquity, March 17, 2021)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Ceramics and Society
Book Subtitle: A Technological Approach to Archaeological Assemblages
Authors: Valentine Roux
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03973-8
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-03972-1Published: 26 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-03973-8Published: 14 February 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXXI, 329
Number of Illustrations: 46 b/w illustrations, 102 illustrations in colour
Additional Information: Original French edition published by Presses Universitaires de Paris Ouest, Nanterre, 2016
Topics: Archaeology