POTTERY IN BRITAIN

Pottery in Britain by Lloyd Laing **NEW**

A Guide to Identifying Pot Sherds 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 4000-2000 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 x190mm)

£20.00

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