How Do Archaeologists Study Pottery?
The study of pottery sherds begins when it is discovered in the earth and never formally ends. Every generation reviews and analyzes ancient ceramics again and again as new material is found. However, for this to be done efficiently, pottery finds must be published and made available for other scholars to study. In a certain sense then, the archaeologist's study of sherd begins at excavation and ends at publication. At that point it becomes data for everybody to use.
The way pottery is processed may vary in details from one excavation to another due to the geographical location of the dig or the desires of the excavator, but they all usually involve the following eight steps. This the system employed by the Karak Resources Project in Jordan.
In conclusion, broken pieces of pottery, simple artifacts that at first glance appear so insignificant when compared with some of the spectacular objects displayed in museums, are the major prizes of archaeological excavations. They tell us so much about how the people of the past lived: what they ate, what products they produced and traded, where they traded their products, how they worshiped, and how they expressed themselves artistically. Most of all, through ceramic dating, we can establish when ancient people occupied an archaeological site.
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