Lab Quiz #3 - Ceramic Analysis Flashcards

Question

Ceramic Analysis - Technological Attributes

Answer 1

Attributes consisting of raw material characteristics including overall shape, the shape of parts, and measurable dimensions – leading to formal typologies.

Answer 2

Attributes defined by the surface characteristics of artifacts – color, texture, decoration, and so forth – leading to stylistic typologies.

Answer 3

Clay is a fine-grained earthy material that develops plasticity when mixed with water, and is used to manufacture ceramics The ideal qualities of a clay are that it is flexible when wet, yet hard and sturdy after firing Clay may have been collected from local areas or acquired from long-distances

Answer 4

LEVIGATING: In order to remove impurities, the clay is mixed with a lot of water, stirred, and left to settle. This process may be repeated several times KNEADING or WEDGING: This eliminates large clumps of material and makes it more homogeneous TEMPERING: In order to reduce uneven shrinking and cracking when drying, a temper is added to the clay

Answer 5

Hand: A vessel can be simply shaped by hand into the piece one desires to make Paddle and Anvil: Using a paddle on the outside and anvil on the inside to shape a vessel Coiling: Creating long thin coils to be placed one upon another Slab: Creating thick slabs which are shaped together into a vessel Molding: Pressing the clay onto a form which produces the vessel ( a broken pot or suspended bag) Wheel Throwing: This consists of placing the paste onto a rapidly spinning surface. -The rapid spinning produces evenly shaped vessels with walls of quite uniform thickness.

Answer 6

Smoothing and Scraping: To produce an even surface on the still pliable paste using wood, old potsherds, pieces of gourd, knives, and even corn cobs Paddle and Anvil: The paddle can be wrapped with a number of different materials, giving a specific appearance to the outside of the vessel Burnishing: When the piece is leather hard, a tool, often a very smooth stone or cloth, is used to smooth and shine the surface

Answer 7

Before a vessel is fired - must be well dried, or excessive steam created by trapped water will cause the vessel to crack or even explode A potter will often let pottery sit for weeks or months before firing

Answer 8

The requirements for ceramic manufacture are clay, temper, water and fuel * Temper is inclusions in the clay. It is added to give the clay strength and workability and to counteract any cracking or shrinkage during firing * Most common materials used for tempering are crushed shell, crushed rock, crushed pottery (grog), sand, grass, and straw * Some temper may be aesthetic * The finer the temper, the stronger the pottery. It usually makes up about 10-50% of the paste (the mixture of clay and temper)

Answer 9

Domestic fires – A ceramic can be placed in a camp fire and rotated around until it is baked Bonfires – Ceramics are arranged in tiers and fuel is placed on top Pit fires – A pit is dug, fuel is placed into it, and ceramics are placed on a rack on top. Additional fuel or earth is placed over the vessels to retain the heat from the firing process Kilns – These specialized structures keep the fuel and the fire separated from the vessels, leading to better control of the firing process

Answer 10

There are two types of decoration, PLASTIC decoration, which alters the surface of the clay when wet, and non-plastic or SURFACE decoration, which adds a material such as a paint or glaze to the surface of the vessel

Answer 11

Applique – The addition of three dimensional ornamentation, such as anthropomorphic heads, nodes, or loop handles to the surface of the pot Impression – Stamping or pressing something onto the surface of a pot. Incision – Using a sharp object such as a stick to cut a line pattern into the surface of a vessel. Excision - Cutting out a portion of the surface clay creating a type of bas relief background for a pattern.

Answer 12

Slip: A slurry of very thin clay (mixture of clay and water) that is applied over the surface of a ceramic before firing. It often alters the texture and color of the surface of the vessel Paint: Can be applied to a ceramic object either before or after firing. Natural paints are derived from minerals, plants, and animals Glaze: A hard, shiny, smooth glassy coating (has a higher silica coating than slip so vitrifies when fired)

Answer 13

Result when the fire has sufficient oxygen to burn cleanly and with high heat, resulting in colors such as yellows, reds, and oranges. Complete oxidization produces a uniform color throughout the paste. Incomplete oxidization produces a “sandwich” paste, with light outsides and dark insides.

Answer 14

Result in insufficient oxygen supply to the fuel so that it does not burn cleanly. More soot and carbon from the fuel is added to the ceramic, resulting in colors such as blacks and greys (the temperature was too low or the duration of firing was too short)

Answer 15

Rather than complete vessels, are very common on archeological sites

Answer 16

Used to estimate the original size of the vessel openings, and what percentage of the rim is remaining

Answer 17

Can inform us about the shape and decoration of the original vessel

Answer 18

Thin sections of ceramics are analyzed using microscopy to identify the mineral and organic components The identification of these minerals can produce a unique chemical signature which can be traced back to its source of material acquisition and original manufacture

Answer 19

Rim Sherd, Base sherd, Handle sherd, foot sherd

Answer 20

Body sherd (usually)

Answer 21

Residues scrapped from the inside of vessels can be analyzed to ascertain what types of liquids or foods they initially held, such as brewed chocolate drinks. Lipids (fats), starches (polymeric carbohydrate) and phytoliths (silica concretions formed in the intercellular regions of many plants) all preserve particularly well.

Lab Quiz #3 - Ceramic Analysis Flashcards

(45 cards)