Tuesday, July 17, 2007



We will be looking at ceramic objects dating from 10,0000 years ago up until the present day. The following posts will focus on test images for the mid-term exam.
Here are the sorts of questions I will ask about these objects in slide exams:

•Under what sorts of conditions (i.e. household/domestic use, nucleated workshops, small-scale manufactury etc.) were pots like these made? What evidence do we have to support this?
•How were objects like this formed and fired? How was the decoration made or applied?
•On what material or objects was this pot modelled? (i.e. textiles, gems, stone for decoration, metalwares or leather pouches for form)
•What are the primary ingredients in this material (i.e. faience)? How was this worked? To what use(s) was this put, and why was it particularly appropriate for that use?
•Under what conditions were pots like these made? (i.e. Roman sigillata) How did they contribute to the export of the cultural values of the maker? What were sources for the designs?
•What device is contained within pots like these? (i.e. whistling pots) How do we know? What purpose did this device serve, and what beliefs were held regarding that?