Ceramic Materials in Archaeology

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This book introduces students in archaeology and others interested to the materials that form ancient ceramics. It focuses on the nature of these materials, the minerals, rocks, clays, and ways they have been modified for the production of ceramics. The study of the use of the ceramic materials by potters through the ages allows us a better understanding of the potter's behavior and the influences on his or her craft. The book details clay, mineral and rock formations, basic geology principles, types of analyses conducted to study raw materials, and the different processes involved in making pottery. It describes the different attributes of a ceramic paste, and the different scales one can look at it. This book is conceived as an introduction to the origin of the materials which form ceramics in an archaeological context, their selection and use by potters. It is abundantly illustrated, in color, and with many case studies.