Events Calendar – British School at Athens
Fitch-Wiener Seminar
Dr. Richard Thér (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Hradec Králové, CZ), “Structural and Surface Analysis as a Key to Pottery Forming Techniques”
Abstract: The aim of the lecture is to present the current developments in the possibilities of qualitative and quantitative analysis of ceramic body structure as well as vessel surface topography. Both phenomena represent key sources of information on one of the three fundamental steps in pottery production: vessel forming. This stage of the technological sequence is a source of considerable variability, reflecting cultural, social, and economic aspects of production. Yet it has so far received relatively little attention, since reconstructions of forming methods usually rely on macroscopic traces visible to the naked eye. Such an approach, however, suffers from low repeatability and reliability, is prone to subjectivity, and its systematic application depends on the preservation of macroscopically observable diagnostic residues. New approaches to structural and topographic analysis, employing computed tomography and 3D surface representations of vessels, open new perspectives for the reconstruction of forming methods. The lecture will present the principles of these analytical techniques and demonstrate their usefulness on examples of hand-built pottery from the Early Bronze Age Bohemia and Roman Bulgaria (2 nd –4 th c. AD), as well as on some of the earliest wheel-thrown pottery from the Late Iron Age Bohemia.
In-person only
Contact: For any enquiries, tel.: 213-000-2400 (133), Email: infoWienerLab@ascsa.edu.gr
When: 10 December @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm EET
Where: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Wiener Laboratory – Athens – 54 Souidias Street