Journal of Field Archaeology · 1999 · 184 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesAnthropologyArchaeologyCeramicsLandscape ArchaeologyCeramic ProductionCeramic TechnologyCeramic UseHousehold ArchaeologyPottery ProductionRitual LifePottery Production VariabilityPottery StylesUse-life Of Pottery
The volume highlights the complex, enduring interactions between ceramic containers and people across time, noting that pottery is ubiquitous, varied, and often preserved in the archaeological record. The authors aim to investigate how humans and ceramics influence each other by examining the relationship between people and pottery. The book surveys key topics such as the onset of pottery-making in children, the origins in the Southwest U.S., Mesoamerica, and Greece, production and standardization, vessel size and consumption patterns, stylistic meaning, and the role of pottery in communication. It presents new discoveries, methodological breakthroughs, and innovative research directions, positioning the volume as a milestone resource for those studying pot‑human connections.
This volume emphasizes the complex interactions between ceramic containers and people in past and present contexts.Pottery, once it appears in the archaeological record, is one of the most routinely recovered artifacts. It is made frequently, broken often, and comes in endless varieties according to economic and social requirements. Moreover, even in shreds ceramics can last almost forever, providing important clues about past human behavior.The contributors to this volume, all leaders in ceramic research, probe the relationship between humans and ceramics. Here they offer new discoveries obtained through traditional lines of inquiry, demonstrate methodological breakthroughs, and expose innovative new areas for research. Among the topics covered in this volume are the age at which children begin learning pottery making; the origins of pottery in the Southwest U.S., Mesoamerica, and Greece; vessel production and standardization; vessel size and food consumption patterns; the relationship between pottery style and meaning; and the role pottery and other material culture plays in communication.Pottery and People provides a cross-section of the state of the art, emphasizing the complete interactions between ceramic containers and people in past and present contexts. This is a milestone volume useful to anyone interested in the connections between pots and people.