Pottery in Britain 4000BC to AD1900 by Lloyd Laing
This book aims to provide an introductory guide to
identifying some of the basic types of pottery that may
be found by accident, in systematic fieldwalking, and in
archaeological excavation. Clay is an exceptionally
versatile material. It can be made into many useful and
beautiful objects, decorated in a splendid variety of
ways, and, if exposed to high temperatures, made into
pottery. Both rich and poor have used pottery since the
Stone Age, so the way the craft developed gives
unusually clear insights into intimate details of
lifestyle and outlooks in even remote periods. It has
been said that "archaeology is built on a foundation of
potsherds". Some archaeological sites have produced over
a million sherds, so, as a result of several centuries
of highly complex logical reasoning, scientific analysis
and cross-referencing with other material, pottery has
become invaluable for making inferences about ancient
societies. Although pottery is easily broken, the
individual sherds are remarkably resilient. Sherds are
therefore the most frequent types of find on
archaeological sites and their presence in the soil can
lead to the discovery of new sites. While many people
can distinguish porcelain from earthenware, not everyone
can tell the difference between stoneware and tin glaze
or a Bronze Age urn from a modern flowerpot. Many sites,
seen in retrospect as important, have been destroyed or
overlooked because pottery lying on the surface was not
recognised for what it was. A general knowledge of
ancient pottery is not difficult to acquire, although,
as in many other walks of life, the study is very
complex on a professional level. Since whole pots are
very rare finds the emphasis is on sherds rather than
museum or collectors' pieces. For reasons of space it
has been impossible to do more than outline the main
types (out of many thousands) of pottery vessel that
might be found. Local and national museums and art
galleries are the first places to visit in order to
become familiar with pottery in particular areas. The
book deals mostly with pottery made in Britain, though
at all times it must be borne in mind that any pottery
found could have come from any period or any location in
the world. As a rule of thumb, lowland areas have tended
to produce more ancient pottery than highland,
presumably due to a combination of lifestyle and
availability of raw materials. The book contains 178
illustrations, mainly in colour, and is divided into the
following sections: The potter's craft • The study of
pottery • Prehistoric pottery- the Neolithic Period
circa 4[zasłonięte]000-20 BC • The Bronze Age circa 2000-700 BC
• The Iron Age circa 700/600 BC-43 AD • The Iron Age
circa 700/600 BC-43 AD • The Dark Ages & Early
Medieval Period • The Medieval Period - 11th-15th
Centuries • The 16th & 17th Centuries • The 18th
& 19th Centuries • Glossary of terminology. Over
100 pages (250mm x19! 0mm) |
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