11 - Archaeology by Experiment

Summary

Introduction

One question frequently asked by archaeologists is ‘how was that done?’: how was a certain pot made, how was a certain effect or finish achieved, or how did a pot reach the state in which it was found? Such questions can be divided into questions about production, questions about use and questions about post-depositional processes. In this chapter we shall look at the first two types of question; the third is examined in Chapter 19. Throughout, it is important that experimental archaeology remains integrated with archaeological theory (Schiffer et al. 1994); otherwise it runs the risk of becoming a pleasurable but fruitless enterprise.

Questions about Production

Questions about production can be broken down into questions about (a) technical aspects of production – procurement of raw materials, preparation, forming of vessels, firing conditions, and (b) social aspects, e.g. mode of production (Peacock 1982), seasonality, itinerancy, and means of distribution. Some questions of type (a) can be answered by visual or analytical examination of pots or sherds themselves (Chapters 10, 13 and 14) but some (a)'s and many (b)'s cannot. For such questions it may be necessary to resort to experimental techniques – attempts to reproduce archaeological pottery through modern replication.