Use Alteration of Pottery Vessel Surfaces: An Important Source of Evidence for the Identification of Vessel Function

Abstract

Eighty-one whole and partial vessels recovered from domestic structures and burial contexts at two Barnett phase sites in northwestern Georgia have been analyzed for evidence of surface alteration resulting from use. Three types of use alteration found on these vessels—sooting, oxidation discoloration and interior surface pitting—are described, and the processes by which they were produced are identified. The associations that exist between types of surface alteration and the morphological vessel types characteristic of the Barnett phase vessel assemblage are described and interpreted. Because these types of surface alteration are the result of actual vessel usage, they are a source of reliable evidence for identifying the function of individual vessels and of morphological vessel types.