Pottery in Archaeology

This revised edition provides an up-to-date account of the many different kinds of information that can be obtained through the archaeological study of pottery. It describes the scientific and quantitative techniques that are now available to the archaeologist, and assesses their value for answering a range of archaeological questions. It provides a manual for the basic handling and archiving of excavated pottery so that it can be used as a basis for further studies. The whole is set in the historical context of the ways in which archaeologists have sought to gain evidence from pottery and continue to do so. There are case studies of several approaches and techniques, backed up by an extensive bibliography.

Clive Orton is Emeritus Professor of Quantitative Archaeology at the University College London Institute of Archaeology. He has won the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Ralph Merrifield Award for service to London Archaeology and the British Archaeological Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Archaeology Data Service Management Committee, a member of the advisory board for the Journal of Quantitative Archaeology, the editor of London Archaeologist, a member of the editorial board for Archaeologia e Calcolatori, chairman of Southwark and Lambeth Archaeological Excavation Committee and chair of Gresham Ship Steering Committee. His most recent books include The Pottery from Medieval Novgorod and its Region (2006) and Sampling in Archaeology (2000).