Review of Druc and Velde's Ceramic Materials in Archaeology 2021 and Comparisons with Other Published Texts on Archaeological Ceramics

Charles Kolb, Honorary Associate Editor for the SAS Bulletin

Ceramic Materials in Archaeology by Elisabeth C. Druc and Bruce Velde. Blue Mounds, Wisconsin: Deep Education Press, 2021

Introduction

This volume on archaeological ceramic materials, like many others published over the past 75 years, is designed as an up-to-date textbook and/or handbook on the subject. My reviews of books on this subject date from about1988 to 2023 and, unless otherwise restricted by the journal editors as to length or content, I normally provide a biographical sketch of the author(s), their backgrounds, affiliations, and citations to prior relevant publications. In addition, I include information about the volume, such as publisher, ISBN, and structural information (pagination, chapters, number of illustrations/figures/images, tables, appendices, etc.. The bulk of the review is devoted to the individual chapters with a summary of the contents, including pagination so that the reader can chose to abstract segments for their own research or for syllabi as course reading assignments. The latter part of my reviews are a constructive critique and generally ignore grammatical and typographical errors (unless egregious or inconsistent within the narrative). The review herein is structured in this manner but also includes a brief essay and table in which I include information about similar previously published works that are, or attempt to be, textbooks on the subject. Several of these more recent publications are books that focus on archaeological chemistry that include some content on ceramics.

Ceramic Materials in Archaeology (2021)

Dr. Isabelle C. Druc (University of Wisconsin-Madison) received her doctorate in Archaeology from the Université de Montréal (Quebec, Canada) in 1997, after completing her initial studies at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), where she was awarded her Diplome d’Archéologie; she also undertook Post-doctoral Studies at Yale University’s Peabody Museum. Her doctoral thesis focused on the physicochemical characterization and provenance of Chavin de Huantar Peruvian ceramics. In her current research, she specializes in Andean archaeology, ceramic studies, archaeometry, petrography, and ethnoarchaeology, and has expertise in X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Microanalysis. Druc is a native French speaker, also fluent in English and Spanish, who focuses on sociocultural and economic interactions, ancient technologies, traditional productions, and communities of practice. She regularly teaches in la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in Lima, and other universities in South America, and is involved in archaeological, ethnoarchaeological and ceramic projects worldwide. She has written more than 40 professional articles and ten books and has produced 200 documentaries and video interviews related to ceramics, traditional arts, culture, and language learning.

Dr. Bruce Velde (École Normale Supérieure, France) earned his doctoral degree from the University of Montana in 1962 and conducted postgraduate research at the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory, Washington, DC. He has served as Directeur de Recherche, Laboratoire de Geologie de l’Ecole Normale Superieure, CNRS [Centre Nacionale de la Recherche Scientifique], Paris and is a well-known clay mineralogist, with numerous books and articles to his credit. His research and publications deal primarily with mineralogy, clay minerals (especially illite), geochemistry and soil water. His research in mineralogy is multidisciplinary, particularly focused on mica, muscovite, and analytical chemistry, incorporating techniques from disciplines such as hydrothermal circulation, mineral and silicate in addition to clay minerals. Velde has taught and conducted research in both the United States and France, and he has an interest in ancient ceramics, which has lead him to assist many students within their studies of ceramics. Among his best known books are:

Clay Minerals: A Physico-chemical Explanation of their Occurrence (1985).

Isabelle Druc and Bruce Velde’s book, Ceramic Materials in Archaeology (Blue Mounds, WI: Deep Education Press, 2021, 310 pp., ISBN: 978-1-939755-49-0), is an updated and expanded version of Archaeological Ceramic Materials: Origin and Utilization by Velde and Druc (New York: Springer, 1999, xii + 299 pp., and was the initial volume in Springer’s Natural Science in Archaeology Series). It is now seriously out-of-date and has been withdrawn from sale but was reviewed by me in SAS Bulletin 23(1):17- 21(Spring 2000). The hardcover Springer edition published in 1999 originally sold for ca. $109.00 US, the new edition is published in paperback costs about $50.00 US. Isabelle’s works are not strangers to Bulletin readers, her monograph Archaeology and Clays (Isabelle C. Druc, ed.; British Archaeological Reports International Series BAR S- 942, Oxford: Tempus Repartarum, 2001) was reviewed by me in Old Potter’s Almanack: Joint Newsletter of the Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group and The Ceramic Petrology Group (British Museum, London) 9(3): 3-4 (November 2001) and La Tinaja: A Newsletter of Archaeological Ceramics 13(2):12-14 (Fall 2001). Nor is she unknown to readers of the SAS Bulletin, see Portable Digital Microscope Atlas of Ceramic Pastes: Components, Texture, and Technology (Isabelle C. Druc (ed.) with the technical assistance of Bruce Velde and Lisenia Chaves; Blue Mounds, WI: Deep University Press, 2015) and its Spanish-language version, Pastas cerámicas en lupa digital: componentes, textura y tecnología, Isabelle C. Druc y Lisenia Chavez; Blue Mounds, WI: Deep University Press, 2014), SAS Bulletin 38(4): 3-6 (Winter 2015). In addition, she has written Traditional Potters from the Andes to Vietnam (Isabelle C. Druc; Madison, WI: Deep University Press, 2016) SAS Bulletin 39(2):14-15 (Summer 2017) and was involved in the organization and writing of a significant book, Integrative Approaches in Ceramic Petrography (Mary F. Ownby, Isabelle C. Druc, and Maria A. Masucci, eds.; Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2016) SAS Bulletin 40(3): 9-14 (Fall 2017). And more recently, Ceramic Analysis in the Andes (Isabelle C. Druc ed.; Madison, WI: Deep University Press, 2015). SAS Bulletin 41(1):7-9 (Spring 2018).

Druc and Velde’s new volume is designed specifically as a laboratory textbook with 11 chapters of 310 pages, 136 figures and illustrations (68 in color), five tables, and a 26- item glossary called “Vocabulary” (pp. 13-17). Each chapter has its own references, with a total of 548 for the book, including Internet resources. Almost all of the photographs, images of microscopic thin sections, and graphs are credited to the authors; a few come with permissions from the late Jim Stoltman (1935-2019), and well-known authority Mary Ownby. More specifically, the volume is conceived as an introduction to the origin

Soils and Weathered Rocks, with Alain Meunier (2008); Introduction to Clay Minerals The Origin of Clay Minerals in (1992); Origins and Mineralogy of Clays (1995); Origin and Mineralogy of Clays: Clays and the Environment (1995); and of the materials which form ancient ceramics, considering their nature, and function, and their selection and use by potters. Additionally, clays, mineral and rock formations, and basic geology principles are covered, as well as the analytical techniques used to study raw materials, and the processes involved in making pottery. The authors contend that by studying ceramic pastes, raw materials, and how these have been modified for the production of ceramics that readers can understand, assess, and explain potters’ selection processes and fabrication through time.

The authors also write that: “already present since the ceramic ecology movement in the 70s, but now much more in the forefront of data interpretation, is the need to consider the potter, her/his work as part of a community of practice, the study of the chaîne opératoire, and the impact of the potter's choice on every step of the production. However, our initial focus on 'materials' remains, simply because there are already a great many books and articles offering this perspective. The understanding of the materials and their transformation during production is just one part of ceramic studies, a step, which does not prevail over the complexity of human impact. Data cannot be interpreted without this in mind” (Druc and Velde 2021:9). These statements mirror the thoughts of Frederick R. Matson in “Ceramic Ecology: An Approach to the Study of the Early Cultures of the Near East” (F. R. Matson, ed., Ceramics and Man, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropology Research, Viking Fund Publications in Anthropology 41, New York: Aldine; London: Methuen) in which he stated that “unless ceramic studies lead to a better understanding of the cultural context in which ceramic materials were made and used, they form a sterile record of limited worth” (1965:205).

Druc and Velde’s book begins with a “Foreword” and “Acknowledgements,” followed by your reviewer’s summary of the chapter-by-chapter contents and a critique. “1. Introduction” (pp. 11-19, 1 figure, 15 references). Druc and Velde write that this work is an introduction for students in archaeology and others interested to the materials that form ancient ceramics. They outline the structure of the book, which 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 ceramic uses and materials by potters through the ages allows us to better understand the potter's behavior and 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 also describes the diverse attributes of a ceramic paste, and the different scales that can be employed to characterize it.

“2. Rocks and Minerals” (pp. 20-40, 3 figures, 27 references). The authors discuss chemical elements and their chemical affinities, and the major rock types. Minerals, mineral formulae, and mineral families are also described, including: silicates, the silica minerals and quartz, feldspars, pyroxenes and amphiboles, olivine, micas and chlorite, carbonates, and oxides. In addition, they review mineral grain shapes, minerals in rocks, sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks, metamorphosed carbonates, and metamorphosed igneous rocks.

“3. Clay Minerals and Their Properties” (pp. 41-62, 14 figures [1 in color], 15 references). Druc and Velde review general concepts of clay minerals, and the chemical constitution of clay minerals and clay mineral families, mica-like clays (illite, celadonite,

and glauconite), smectites, the kaolin minerals, chlorites and related minerals, and the general chemical identity of the clays. Lastly they focus on the physical properties of clay minerals: clay-water mixtures and clay shapes; and the thermal stability of clays and clay-water mixtures: kinetics, grain size, and heating rates.

“4 Origin of Clay Resources” (pp. 63-85, 14 figures [9 in color], 27 references). This chapter imparts a review of the segregation of the elements by weathering, the weathering of minerals and increasing stability, followed by a discussion of the conversion of rocks to soils to sediments. The latter elaborates weathering profiles, transportation by water flow and grain-size sorting; transport and deposition of clays; and the burial of sediments. Hydrothermal alteration, sources of materials suitable for ceramics (clays and non-clay grains); nine factors favorable for clay formation and concentration; and sediment types of use for ceramic making and their mineral characteristics.

“5. Physical and Chemical Processes of Making Ceramics” (pp. 86-109, 16 figures [13 in color], 25 references). The chapter begins with a discussion of plasticity and its states (brittle, plastic, and fluid); and mineral temper grains (natural mineral grains, decantation and separation of natural mineral temper grains, tempering by mixtures and source materials, mixture of clays and non-clays grains from different sources, and the mixture of clay sources). A brief review of decorations and object surfaces includes slips, paints, and glazes.

“6. Physical and Chemical Processes in Firing Ceramics” (pp. 110-146, 14 figures [4 in color], 37 references). Druc and Velde’s discussion of firing and material transformations includes variables of transformation to make a ceramic, particularly the firing process (time and temperature), stages of transformation in time-temperature coordinates, paste composition and fusing agents; reduction of iron; firing programs and surface color; and particle size. Firing practices focus on ground firing (bonfire), pit firing, and kilns. The authors summarize factors in the formation of a ceramic body during firing, then proceed to a detailed commentary on structure, porosity, and the density of ceramics (non-plastics, and clays and pores); differentiating primary and secondary pores, microporosity, temper materials and firing, thermal properties of oriented clays, and hardness. The effects of oxidation and reductions are explained and detailed for both raw and fired materials. Oxidation-reduction cycles are elaborated, as are mineral reactions during firing, and the authors discuss families of ceramic products (pottery, terracotta, faience, stoneware, and porcelain).

“7. The Making of Pots” (pp. 147-188, 49 figures [all in color], 26 references). The essay is divided into seven sections. 1) Temper and tempering; and, 2) Raw materials, clay materials, tempering materials and methods of tempering, and the identification of temper. 3) Making a pot: physical and chemical reactions (needs and functions, plasticity and the role of temper and non-plastics, drying and shrinkage, material expansion, grain angularity, paste as related to function, form, and manufacturing requirements; needs as a function of object use, durability and breakage resistance: strength and hardness, porosity, density, permeability and impermeability, thermal stress resistance and conductivity). 4) Material preparation. 5) Forming techniques., 6)

Surface coatings as related to the function of the product. 7) Firing and furnaces (open fires, pit-kilns, semi-closed structures, open kilns, closed kilns, and paste types and surface color related to the type of firing).

“8. Optical Observation of Ceramics” (pp. 189-221, 98 figures [9 in color]. 65 references). The authors begin with a question about methods: how can one see a ceramic sherd? They begin with computer scanning, the binocular microscope, portable digital USB microscope, the petrographic microscope and thin section preservation, point counting (to count or not to count: granulometric and modal analysis), reflected light microscopy, and the scanning electron microscope. A second section focuses on characteristics observed: what can one see in a ceramic sherd: slip, glaze, or paint; temper grains and clays; temper grains and size distributions, grain shapes, crystal shapes, angularity, size distributions of temper grains. Lastly, the identification of different techniques in paste preparation, and paste texture are detailed .

“9. Ceramics and Archaeology: Case Studies” (pp. 222-271, 24 figures [7 in color], 4 tables, 24 references). A dozen case studies ( mostly on specimens from France, England, Italy, and Peru) are discussed. Basic techniques of petrographic analysis, modal analysis, and chemical analysis (XRF and INAA) are reviewed prior to a lengthy section focused on modern ceramic production in the Andes. The narrative includes information on the production setting, petrographic analysis of unprepared black clay, unprepared yellow temper, and clay-temper mixing; the analysis of fired pot fragments; and image analysis. The final three sections relate clay characterization by SEM, the determination of firing temperature, and Mössbauer spectroscopy.

“10. Some Current Analysis Methods” (pp. 271-305, 3 figures [all in color], 59 references). This chapter is divided into nine sections. 1) Ceramics analysis: what for and how? There are seven subsections: classification, studying pottery technology, provenance studies, quantitative studies, uses of quantitative and qualitative studies, sample size (qualitative and quantitative studies versus time and cost investments), and the use of comparative studies (sampling geological comparative materials: compositional profiles and petrofacies maps). 2) Physical and chemical methods of analysis. 3) Visual methods including the use of the binocular microscope, petrographic microscope, computer scanning and visual systems, electron microscopes (SEM, SEM- EDXRF, SM-XRF), TEM, and HRTEWM). 4) Mineral identification by non-optical methods (XRD, QEMSCAN), TGA, DTA, IR and FTIR, EMP, and Raman spectroscopy. 5) The identification of chemical elements (LA-ICP-MS), whole sample analysis, XRF, pXRF, PIXE, NAA, and Mössbauer analysis). The final sections are: 6) Provenance based on Zr age and U-Pb isotopes. 7) Age determination by TL. 8) Density, porosity, and hardness. And 9) Magnetic analysis.

“11. How to Acquire the Knowledge to Do the Job” (pp. 306-311). The authors discuss eleven courses that are found in most academic institutions and are relevant to the study of archaeological materials; these include classes in in geology, chemistry, and physics. They also mention some periodicals (n = 14), books titles, and 18 laboratories that are active in the field of interest. Among the journals listed are Archaeometry (six issues per annum rather than three) and Current Anthropology (1959-2023, which has

only 26 articles on ceramics, none published since 2018); also listed is the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Archaeological Chemistry series (published irregularly, nine volumes with 41 chapters concerned with ceramics:1974-2013).

Assessment and Comparisons

In addition to Archaeometry, there are nearly a thousand professional journals with substantive contributions to archaeological ceramics; a tabulation of the primary journals (based on numbers and archaeometric and social science content) is to be found in Table 1 of the following article which lists 65 of the most significant journals: See Charles C. Kolb (2022). “Ceramics” in Alan S. Gilbert, Paul Goldberg, Rolfe D. Mandel, and Vera Aldeias (eds.) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology, Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series, Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44600-0_32- 1. I have selected 21 journals from the 65 to cite for this review, and have updated the data and statistics through 30 May 2023; the corpus is selected from Kolb’s “Ceramics Journal Titles” which has a current database of 1,196 periodicals.

Journal Title (Date Range) Volumes (Numbers) Ceramic Articles [bold] n =

American Journal of Archaeology (1897-2023) 1(1)-123(1) 305

Ancient Mesoamerica (1990-2023) 1(1)-34(1) 88

The Antiquaries Journal [UK] (1921-2022) 1(1)-102 315

Antiquity [UK] (1927-2023) 1(1)-97(392) [includes eSupplements] 128 Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2009-2023) 1(1)-14(6) 119 Ethnoarchaeology: Journal of Archaeological, Ethnographic and

Experimental Studies (2009-2022) 1(1)-14(2) 25

Archaeometry [UK] (1957-2023) 1(1)-65(3) S1 620 + 64 accepted online. Geoarchaeology: An International Journal (1986-2023) 1(1)-38(3) 89

Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1932- 2023)

1(1)-92(1) 220

Historical Archaeology (1967-2022) 1-56(4) 109

Internet Archaeology [UK] (1996-2023) 1-62 393

Journal of Archaeological Science [UK] (1974-2023) 1(1)-154 449

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports [UK] (2016-2023) 1-49 330

Journal of Field Archaeology (1974-2023) 1(1)-48(4) 100

Journal of Roman Pottery Studies [UK] (1986-2022) 1-19 171

Latin American Antiquity (1990-2023) 1(1)-34(1) 93

Microscopy and Microanalysis (1997-2022) 1(1)-28(6) S1,2 157

Nature [UK] (1845-2023) 1(1)-617(--) 910 [ancient/archaeological pottery] Quaternary International [UK] (1989-2023) 1-631 549

Science [USA] (1880-2023) 1(1)-380(6647) 141 [ancient/archaeological pottery] Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology (1974-2022) 1(1)-49(2) 110

Two other selections from important serials might be included (in spite of diasporas): American Ceramic Society: Ceramics and Civilization series (1985-1998) 8 volumes:

101 articles; and Materials Research Society: Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology (1988-2018) 11 volumes: 122 articles.

By examining the major reference works that archaeologists engaged in ceramic analyses have used over the past nine decades, one finds that both of the Druc and Velde 1999 and 2021 volumes are part of the growing and persistent trend toward collaborative scientist-archaeologist co-authored works and attempts at holistic coverage of a vast, dynamic topic. For a relevant discussion of this topic through 1988, see Charles C. Kolb “The Current Status of Ceramic Studies” in Ceramic Ecology, 1988: Current Research on Ceramic Materials, edited by C. C. Kolb (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports International Series S513, pp. 377-421). The following table relates some basic characteristics of most recent English-language volumes designed as textbooks or handbooks; several volumes on archaeological chemistry are separately discussed:

Author and Year of Publication

References

March (1934) 55 Colton (1953)

Shepard (1956) 423 Shepard (1965) 446 Rye (1981) 160 Rice (1987) 583 Sinopoli (1991) 250 Gibson & Woods (1990) 314 Gibson & Woods (1997) 320 Orton, Tyres, &

Vince (1993)

Velde & Druc (1999) 311 *Pollard, Batt, Stern & Young (2007) 420 *Goffer (2007) 645 *Pollard & Heron (2008) 445 *Price & Burton (2011) 343 Orton & Hughes (2013) 357 Rice (2015) 591 Cuomo di Caprio (2017) 664 Roux (2019) 360 Druc & Velde (2021)

Volumes on archaeological chemistry with some content on ceramics.

Eleven of these books were written during the last millennium and nine since 2000. Colton’s (1953) slim volume was a handbook oriented to pottery from the North

American Southwest, while the Gibson and Woods (1990, 1997) and Orton, Tyres, and Vince (1993) as well as Orton and Hughes (2013) volumes emphasized European, particularly United Kingdom, contexts. Gibson and Woods’s volumes were, in the main, highly illustrated glossaries: 199 of 314 pages (1990) and 203 of 220 pages (1997). Rye (1981) drew most of his examples from the Asian Subcontinent and Melanesia. Shepard (1956, 1965), Rice (1987, 2015), and Sinopoli (1991) each have more global perspectives, while Velde and Druc (1999) emphasize Europe, the Circum- Mediterranean, and western South America. Both of Rice’s volumes presents a detailed holistic overview of archaeological ceramics, including the “origins and utilization” components found in Velde and Druc (1999). Recently retired Prudence Rice (1987, 2015) updated her magnum opus, Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook, but the second edition (2015 paperback only) is minimally revised and enhanced. Her 2015 edition has the same basic reference compendium as the 1987 hardback.

Di Caprio 2017

The Cuomo di Caprio (2017) two-volume “manual” with 20 chapters, was designed for Italian students, and has been translated from the 2007 Italian-language edition, maintaining the latter’s organizational format, and focus on western and southern Europe and the Mediterranean seacoast. Part One emphasizes “Ancient Craftsmanship” (13 chapters). “1. Introducing Part One” (pp. 28-34, 1 text-box, 30 citations) offers a general essay on the transformation of clay to archaeological ceramics. “2. Clay” (pp. 36-45, 1 text-box, 21 citations), considers geological perspectives and differentiates primary and secondary clays. “3. Clay Minerals” (pp. 46- 56, 3 text boxes, 46 citations) identifies crystallo-chemical properties, explains the clay- water system, and identifies the three primary groups of clay and minor groups. “4. Non- clay Minerals and Incidental Constituents” (pp. 58-81, 3 text- boxes, 33 citations) documents temper, quartz, flux, high and low temperature feldspar, calcite, iron oxides and hydroxides, grog, and organic and inorganic additives. “5. Technological Properties of Clay and Pottery” (pp. 89-96, 2 text-boxes, 68 citations) reviews plasticity, shrinkage, and thermal and chemical properties. “6. Working the Clay” (98-108, 5 boxes, 58 citations) focuses rather briefly on clay sourcing, processing and refining, while “7. Forming “(pp. 116-172, 9 text- boxes, 197 citations) elaborates hand-building and subtypes, wheel-throwing and variants, molding, and experimental archaeology. “8. Drying” (174-188, 2 text-boxes, 21 citations) provides a brief discussion on the stages of drying and issues of warping and cracking. “9. Applying Coatings to Vessels before Firing” (pp. 190-202, 1 text-box, 46 citations) concerns raw materials, coating and painting, and forms of application (dipping, brushing, wiping, sponging, splashing, and pouring). “10. Slip and Gloss” (pp. 204-257, 12 text-boxes, 311 citations) differentiates slip, matte finish, wash, black gloss, and sigillata red slip. “11. Glazing and New Technologies in Medieval Times” (pp. 258-295, 8 text-boxes, 161 citations) is a well- documented essay on raw materials, lead glazes, multiple firing techniques, and maiolica. “12. Decorating Vessels before Firing in Antiquity” (pp. 296-323, 5 text- boxes, 112 citations) reviews decoration by excision or compression (incising, cutting, and stamping), and by addition (barbotine, sand, applique, and mold-made relief); painting (geometric and figure painting and polychrome) – the section on painting could be elaborated. “13. Firing” (pp. 324-382, 9 text-boxes, 237 citations) details fuels, direct flame firing, firing structures, open firing, clamps for bricks, pit firing, updraft kilns type (and examples), stacking procedures, and kiln operations. The illustrations of kiln types are especially useful.

“Introducing Part Two: Archaeological Ceramics in the Laboratory” (pp. 527-538, 28 references and readings, 3 graphics) focuses on three basic questions of how the ceramic was made (mineralogical composition and working practices: forming through firing); when it was made (TL) and where it was made (mineralogical and physicochemical characterization). Topics considered are clay selection and refining, sampling limits and ways for obtaining specimens, issues relating to artifact damage, sample reusability, and time required. Readings emphasize mineralogical, chemical, and analytical analyses; 13 physicochemical methods and three characterization methods are introduced which are elaborated in the subsequent chapters. “15. OM, Optical Mineralogy for Mineralogical Characterization” (pp. 540- 551, 5 readings, text- box #63) assesses the use of a magnifying glass, stereomicroscopy, and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Point counting and digital imaging are covered very briefly and comparison charts are illustrated. The text-box documents heavy mineral analysis. “16. Thermal Techniques” (pp. 533-557, 3 readings, text-box #64) concerns the analyses of clays and ancient ceramics using DTA and TGA while the text-box elaborates TMA analysis measuring thermal expansion. “17. Physicochemical Techniques” (pp 559-590, text-box #65) covers a variety of methods. Text-box #65 covers the “Traditional Chemical Analyses”: Volumetric analysis by titration, colorimetric analysis, and gravimetric analysis (wet and dry methods). Thirteen physicochemical methods are described (each in a page or two accompanied by line drawing schematics and images illustrating the processes). Every entry has a summary that includes nine variables: archaeological issues, damage of the object, sample, focus of the analysis, properties determined, level of output, approximate cost, and time required for the sample preparation and the output of results. “18. Characterization Techniques” (pp. 591-597, 8 references, text-box). Text-box # 68, “Relevant New Analyses” describes briefly NMR, TOF-ND, XAS, XANES, and OSL – some are not quite “new” -- while the remainder of the chapter emphasizes X-Ray Radiography (p. 592), Porosimetry (p. 593), and TL Dating (pp. 594- 597). “19. Data Handling and Statistical Processing’ (pp. 599-601, 10 references) describes Cluster Analysis, Principal Components Analysis, and Discriminant Analysis. In my longer review, I noted that Volume II (Part 2) had been extensively modified in comparison with the 2007 edition and incorporated materials through 2011. Content from the articles cited in Volume II from Archaeometry and Journal of Archaeological Science (pp. 609-617) on trends and frequencies in laboratory techniques are not incorporated into the content of Volume I. The 13 physicochemical methods and three characterization methods (X-Ray Radiography, Porosimetry, and TL Dating) are appropriately explained, however, NMR, TOF-ND, XAS, XANES, and OSL might have been elaborated or more clearly explained.

Roux 2019

Valentine Roux’s Ceramics and Society: A Technological Approach to Archaeological Assemblages (2019) contains six chapters, was translated from the 2016 French edition, and is called a “manual.” In “Chapter 2: Description of the Chaînes Opératoires” (pp. 15-127, 57 figures, 4 tables), she proposes a descriptive system of the ceramic chaîne opératoire from collection of the raw material (clay) through firing processes. She explains the main actions that transform clay into a finished product; a subsequent section describes the chaîne opératoire involves in implementing each of these actions.

Roux reviews the emic viewpoint (the potter’s discourse) versus the etic perspective (scientific discourse) and provides numerous relevant citations to the literature in examining the nature of clay minerals, clay sources, and clay materials and ceramics. In Collection and Transformation of Clay Materials (pp. 16-40) she considers paste preparation, while Fashioning (pp. 41-92), Finishing (pp. 92-95) Surface Treatments (pp. 96-101), Decoration (pp.102-109) – a surprisingly brief discussion, Drying (p. 110) - - documented in less than half a page, and Firing (pp. 110-121) rather basic information. Roux does not mention down draft kilns or muffle kilns (generally associated with large- scale production), or prehistoric types that continued into the historic era, notably Jingdezhen egg-shaped kiln, Dragon kilns, and Anasazi trench kilns. “References” (pp. 121-127) contains 138 citations. Chapter 3: “Identification of the Chaînes Opératoires” (pp. 129-216, 61 figures, 1 table). Technological Interpretation of Paste (pp. 130-139), From Fashioning to Firing (pp. 140-212), versus reduction atmospheres. Reconstruction of the chaînes opératoires utilizes a two page quotation (p. 210-212, Fig. 3.61) taken from J. P. Hillman’s description of the fabrication of jars from Bronze Age Tell Arqa during the first half of the third millennium BC (2006). Roux’s “References” (pp. 212-216) include 72 entries.

Chapter 4: “Classification of Archaeological Assemblages According to the Chaîne Opératoire Concept: Functional and Sociological Characterization” (pp. 217-258, 9 figures, 2 tables) is divided into . Classification by Technical Groups (pp. 119-124), Classification by Techno-Petrographic Groups (pp. 218-224) with a discussion of sampling procedures and two pages of excellent color illustrations, Fig. 4.3; 4.3 Classification by Morpho-Stylistic Groups (pp. 226-230) with an example of a Middle Bronze Age jar typology developed by French archaeologist Bertille Lyonnett (1997) and an example of decoration classification by American geologist-archaeologist Anna O. Shepard (1965); and, lastly, 4.4 Classification by Techno-Stylistic Trees (p. 230). Roux next reviews 4.5 Classification by Functional Versus Sociological Variables (pp. 230-244) including vessel functions (shapes and functions such as storage, transfer, culinary, and special activities) and decoration and function. Missing here is any mention of American anthropologist Dorothy Washburn’s innovative assessments of pottery design, symmetries of pattern design on material culture both ethnographic and archaeological, which go well beyond Shepard’s initial work and deserves inclusion in any volume on ceramic decoration. In Chapter 5: “Technical Skills” (pp. 259-282, 9 figures, 1 table), Roux considers the nature of skills (modeling, molding, wheel throwing, and wheel coiling) and expertise.

In Chapter 6: “Anthropological Interpretation of Chaînes Opératoires” (pp. 283-324, 4 figures, 1 table), Roux characterizes the organization of production including the Socioeconomic Complex (pp. 283-293), and Cultural Histories (pp. 293-307), African work by Gosselain (2008, 2011) and others and Dupont-Delaleuf 2011) in Central Asia. There is a very interesting section on cultural lineages and evolutionary trajectories and an essay by Sebastien Manem titled “Modeling the Evolution of Technical Traditions and Learning Pathways with a Phylogenetic Approach” (pp. 297-301) which includes a cladistics diagram of taxa. There are commentaries on historical scenarios, innovation, and diffusion, the latter divided into demic and cultural. Lastly, 6.3 Evolutionary Forces (pp. 308-315) concerns developmental technique, conditions for technological change, and the 6.4 “Conclusion” (pp. 315-316) whereby the “potency” of the ceramic chaîne opératoire lies not only in the ability to explore the functional and sociological variability

of ceramic assemblages but also show the cultural and historical implications of this variability. The “References” (pp. 316-324) include 164 items. A double-column “Index” (pp. 325-329) focuses only on topic entries.

Roux references to a classic work by Orton, Tyers, and Vince, Pottery in Archaeology (1993), which is now dated and has been replaced by a second edition authored by Orton and Hughes (2013), reviewed by me in SAS Bulletin 37(1):7-9 (Spring 2014); likewise her citations to Prudence Rice’s Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook (1987) should refer to the revised second edition (2015), reviewed in SAS Bulletin 38(3):3-7 (Fall 2015).

Chapters 3 and 4: “Classification of Archaeological Assemblages According to the Chaîne Opératoire Concept: Functional and Sociological Characterization” (pp. 217-258 Simona Scarcella’s edited monograph Archaeological Ceramics: A Review of Current Research, British Archaeological Reports International Series S-2193, Oxford: Archaeopress (2011), reviewed in SAS Bulletin 34(2):6-9 (Summer 2011). A majority of the 14 contributions to Scarcella’s volume characterize or employ the chaîne opératoire (Roux contributed a chapter entitled “Anthropological interpretation of ceramic assemblages: foundations and implementations of technological analysis”). Chapters by Berg, Laneri, Roux, De La Fuente, Jeffra, Gheorghiu, and Deal explicitly use chaîne opératoire. In the introductory essay, “Chaîne opératoire and ceramics: classifications and typology, archaeometry, experimental archaeology, and ethnoarchaeology,” Kolb (2011:5-19) discussed the ceramic production sequence from finding raw materials (clays and tempers)through fabrication, dispersal and final disposition of vessels and sherds, and related it to the methodology of Ceramic Ecology. A number of minor errors appear in the texts and bibliographies: p. 12: Gosselain and Smith (2005) should be Gosselain and Livingstone Smith; p. 251: Bowser J. B. (2008) should be B[renda]. J.; p. 306 and 320: Marro et al. (2014) the Kuro-Araxe culture [French designation] would be Kura-Araxas in the English-language version; p. 321: Olesen, Asta (1994) the reference to Copenhaguen should be Copenhagen; and p. 323: Stark, M. T. (ed.) (1993) Washington, WA/London should be Washington, DC/London; all of these are verified in WorldCat. English-language editorial proof readers should have dealt with these nuances. Physicochemical analyses are not an element of ceramic assessment in this volume (see Rice 2015 and Hunt (ed.) 2017), and what happens to the finished products (use and discard) is understated in her manual.

Archaeological Chemistry: Four Volumes

Four volumes on archaeological chemistry generally include relevant material on ceramics, pottery, and analytical methods. Goffer’s second edition of Archaeological Chemistry (2007) contains 18 chapters and three appendices; two chapters and one appendix are relevant: “Chapter 1: Minerals: Rock and Stone: Pigments, Abrasives, and Gemstones” (pp. 1-91, 17 figs., 22

tables, 23 textboxes); “Chapter 7: Clay: Pottery and Other Ceramic Materials” (pp. 231- 260, 9 figs., 7 tables, 1 textbox); and “Appendix II: Chronometric Dating Methods: Selection Criteria” (pp. 449-451, 1 fig.). The volume is intended primarily for archaeologists, conservators, curators, and art historians. Pollard and Heron’s second edition of Archaeological Chemistry (2007) has 12 chapters, one of which deals with ceramics: “Chapter 4: The Geochemistry of Clays and the Provenance of Ceramics”

(pp. 98-143, 15 figs, 2 tables, 72 references). This book was designed as a text for students in archaeological science and chemistry, and professionals in archaeology. Pollard, Batt, Stern and Young’s Analytical Chemistry in Archaeology (2007) with 13 chapters has scattered ceramics content: “Part II: The Application of Analytical Chemistry to Archaeology” (pp. 45-214) has seven chapters: “Chapter 3: Elemental Analysis by Absorption and Emission Spectroscopies in the Visible and Ultraviolet” (pp. 47-69, 5 figs.); “Chapter 4:

Molecular Analysis by Absorption and Raman Spectroscopy” (pp. 70-92, 9 figs.); “Chapter 5: X-ray Techniques and Electron Beam Microanalysis” (pp. 93-122, 8 figs.); “Chapter 6: Neutron

Activation Analysis” (pp. 123- 136, 1 fig.), “Chapter 7: Chromatography” (pp. 137-159, 12 figs., 2 tables); “Chapter 8: Mass Spectrometry (pp.160-194, 11 figs., 2 tables); and “Chapter 9: Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)” (pp. 195-214, 9 figs., 1 table). “Part III: Some Basic Chemistry for Archaeologists” (pp. 215-321) has three chapters: “Chapter 10: Atoms, Isotopes, Electron Orbitals, and the Periodic Table” (pp. 217-248, 6 figs., 1 table); “Chapter 11: Valency, Bonding, and Molecules” (pp. 249- 274, 22 figs., 3 tables); “Chapter 12: The Electromagnetic Spectrum” (pp. 275-294, 8 figs., 2 tables); and “Chapter 13: Practical Issues in Analytical Chemistry” (pp. 294-321, 2 figs., 2 tables).

Price and Burton in An Introduction to Archaeological Chemistry (2011) comment that archaeological chemistry is a subfield of archaeometry (p. 2) and that it sits at the juncture of these two branches of the tree of knowledge, providing an interface‖ between them. There are nine chapters, three of which are especially relevant: “Chapter 3: Archaeological Materials” (pp. 41-72, 16 figures [3 in color], 3 tables, 11 suggested readings) provides an overview of the kinds of materials (rock, pottery, bone, and metals) than can be analyzed. Rock types and rock-forming minerals are reviewed. The discussion on pottery (pp. 47-49) considers clay, temper, and compositional paste reference units (CPU), and discusses the MURR facility and provenience postulate. Sediments and soils, categories of sediments and sizes criteria, and a sediment triangle are also considered. The authors remind us that ―ceramics are the products of diverse human technologies, not geological materials, and their compositions reflect human choices rather than simply that of geographic provenience‖ (p. 49). There are no suggested readings on pottery. “Chapter 4: Methods of Analysis” (pp. 73-126, 45 figures [6 in color], 6 tables, 8 suggested readings; typo p. 97: pounds = pounds) Price and Burton provide an overview of five different kinds of elemental or molecular analyses and the instruments used in archaeological chemistry. 1) Magnification (pp. 74-78) and levels of magnification: binocular microscopy, optical microscopy, and petrographic and metallographic microscopy; SEM (25 to 25,000 x). 2) Elemental Analysis (pp. 78-90) measuring presence and amount of various elements: spectroscopy (absorbed vs. emitted, absorption vs. emersion); ICP-OES (commonly used today); XRF (nondestructive, portable equipment), an example is mineral grains in pottery (p. 88); CN analysis; and very brief summary of NAA or INAA and a ceramic example. 3) Isotopic Analysis (pp. 90-102): Oxygen isotopes, Carbon and Nitrogen isotopes, Strontium isotopes, and the use of Mass spectrometers and ICP-MS. 4) Organic Analysis (pp. 102-114): the focus is on the methods of biomolecular archaeology, notably residues in potsherds (p. 102, 106-109, 109), lipids, and LC-MS, and GC-MS (p.

110 has a pottery example). 5) Mineral and Inorganic Compounds (pp. 115-122): microscopy (thin-section petrographic studies and optical mineralogy), X-ray methods (XRD), and molecular spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy and Raman scattering). The limitations of IR and XRD are noted and SEM and X-ray detection are emphasized. Tables 4.5 and 4.6 provide useful summaries of 11 instruments and their sensitivity, sample sizes, and cost analysis. “Chapter 5: Identification and Authentication” (pp. 127- 154, 17 figures [4 in color], 4 suggested readings and 17 key references) documents what archaeological chemistry can and cannot do. For authentication, NAA, XRD, and XRF studies on a Getty Museum kouros are reported.

Some Conclusions

Ceramic Materials in Archaeology (2021) is obviously the most current, up-to-date volume devoted to the study of archaeological ceramics, especially in its coverage of physicochemical techniques employed for chronology and provenance. Designed as a textbook for teaching in the ceramics laboratory, this book provides an appropriate introduction to the origin of the materials which form ancient pottery, considers their nature and function, and how potters select raw materials and produce material culture. Druc and Velde contend that by studying ceramic pastes, raw materials, and create these have been modified for the production of ceramics that readers can understand, assess, and explain potters’ selection processes and fabrication through time. I believe that they have met these goals.

Another benefit is the number of color illustrations where color is a significant advantage for the reader. Alas, most volumes that depict color thin sections, photomicrographs, or cross-sections of sherds lack of color bars to indicate chromatic fidelity, or provide Munsell designations. A few others neglect to provide measurement data or metric scales. Art historians especially require color and metric scales when photographing museum objects. Lastly, the book is well-written, has an appropriately strong binding for a paperback, and is priced at less than half of the costs of competitors’ works.

Readers likely discern that I have some background in archival collections and librarianship. I served as a special assistant to my high school librarian (thanks Miss Powell) and later worked as assistant director of a small university library after 24 years of research and teaching archaeology (mostly at Penn State). During the following 23 years at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), I attended numerous classes and workshops focusing on the preservation of archival, library, photographic, and museum collections to stay abreast of the shift from analog to digital procedures to preserve and make intellectually accessible a variety of compendia.

During my undergraduate and graduate student career at Penn State – ten years, I had the good fortune to work as a research and teaching assistant for Fred Matson (who taught me about ceramics) and Bill Sanders (who taught me about archaeology). While I was finishing my doctorate, one of the other grad students who worked with both Fred and Bill was Pru Rice. Sadly, so was the late Deb Nichols (1952-2022).

Bibliographic References for Table (SAS Bulletin Reviews are noted)

Colton, Harold S. (1953) Potsherds: An Introduction to the Study of Prehistoric Southwestern Ceramics and their Use in Historic Reconstruction. Bulletin 25. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art, Museum of Northern Arizona.

Cuomo di Caprio, Ninina (2017) Ceramics in Archaeology: From Prehistoric to Medieval Times in Europe and the Mediterranean: Ancient Craftsmanship and Modern Laboratory Techniques, 2 vols. Manuali L'ERMA 2. Roma: L'Erma di Bretschneider. SAS Bulletin 41(4): 20-23 (Winter 2018).

Gibson, Alex and Ann Woods (1990) Prehistoric Pottery for the Archaeologist. Leicester and New York: Leicester University Press.

Gibson, Alex and Ann Woods (1997) Prehistoric Pottery for the Archaeologist, 2nd ed. Leicester and Washington, DC: Leicester University Press.

Goffer, Zvi (2007) Archaeological Chemistry, 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Volume 170 in Chemical Analysis, 2007). SAS Bulletin 32(1): 22-25 (Spring 2009).

March, Benjamin (1934) Standards of Pottery Description. Occasional Contributions 3. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Museum of Anthropology.

Orton, Clive, Paul Tyers, and Alan Vince (1993) Pottery in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Orton, Clive and Michael Hughes (2013) Pottery in Archaeology, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SAS Bulletin 37(1): 7-9 (Spring 2014).

Pollard, Mark, Catherine Batt, Ben Stern, and Suzanne M. M. Young (2007) Analytical Chemistry in Archaeology. New York: Cambridge University Press. SAS Bulletin 32(1): 22-23 (Fall 2007).

Pollard, A. M. and C. Heron (2008) Archaeological Chemistry, 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing [The Royal Society of Chemistry]. SAS Bulletin 32(1): 22-25 (Spring 2009).

Price, T. Douglas and James H. Burton (2011) An Introduction to Archaeological Chemistry. New York: Springer. SAS Bulletin 34(1): 2-4 (Spring 2011).

Rice, Prudence M. (1987) Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Rice, Prudence M. (2015) Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. SAS Bulletin 38(3): 3-7 (Fall 2015).

Roux, Valentine (2019) Ceramics and Society: A Technological Approach to Archaeological Assemblages. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. SAS Bulletin 42(2):4-9 (Summer 2019).

Rye, Owen S. (1981) Pottery Technology: Principles and Reconstruction. Manuals on Archeology 4. Washington, DC: Taraxacum.

Shepard, Anna O. (1956) Ceramics for the Archaeologist. Publication 609. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington. Forward “Ceramic Studies 1954-1964” added to 1965 and later printings.

Sinopoli, Carla (1991) Approaches to Archaeological Ceramics. New York: Plenum.

Velde, Bruce and Elizabeth C. Druc (1999) Archaeological Ceramic Materials: Origin and Utilization. New York: Springer.

See also Kolb (2009) Comparative Review of Three Books on Archaeological Chemistry: SAS Bulletin 32(1): 22-25 (Spring).