Intensive Course on Ceramic Petrography & Geochemistry 2024

This intensive short course delivers a solid practical and theoretical introduction to the scientific analysis of pottery and other ceramics within archaeology. It provides training in the principles of thin section ceramic petrography and the interpretation of pottery provenance and manufacturing technology.

The course will consist of lectures, live microscope demonstrations and practical work using photomicrographs and numerical data.

Course Schedule

Monday 15 July

Welcome

• Lecture 1: Introduction to Ceramic Compositional Analysis. Optical Mineralogy
• Practical 1: Identification of Mineral Inclusions in Ceramics
• Lecture 2: Introduction to Lithic Petrography
• Practical 2: Identification of Rock Fragments in Ceramics

Tuesday 16 July

• Lecture 1: Composition of Ceramics in Thin Section
• Practical 1: Composition of Ceramics in Thin Section
• Lecture 2: Introduction to Ceramic Geochemistry
• Practical 2: X-ray fluorescence Characterisation of Archaeological Ceramics

Wednesday 17 July

• Lecture 1: Classification and Characterisation of Ceramics in Thin Section
• Practical 1: Classification and Characterisation of Ceramics in Thin Section
• Lecture 2: Geochemical Classification of Archaeological Ceramics
• Practical 2: Geochemical Classification of Archaeological Ceramics

Thursday 18 July

• Lecture 1: Introduction to Ceramic Provenance Determination
• Practical 1: Thin Section Preparation
• Lecture 2: Application of Compositional Data to Ceramic Provenance Interpretation
• Practical 2: Application of Compositional Data to Ceramic Provenance Interpretation

Friday 19 July

• Lecture 1: Reconstructing Ceramic Technology in Thin Section
• Practical 1: Reconstructing Ceramic Technology in Thin Section Part 1
• Lecture 2: Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Diffraction
• Practical 2: Reconstructing Ceramic Technology in Thin Section Part 2. Demonstration of SEM

Saturday 20 July

• Lecture 1: Scientific Analysis of Non-pottery Ceramics
• Practical 1: Microscope Revision Session
• Lecture 2: Planning, Sampling, Integrating Data and Interpretation
• Practical 2: Microscope Revision Session and any other business

Further details

• Intensive Course webpage: Ceramic Petrography & Geochemistry