18 - Pottery and Function

Summary

The problem of function is perhaps one of the more difficult faced by those studying archaeological ceramics. The topic can be approached from three points of view; first at the level of the function of the individual vessel, second, the functional information that can be recovered from archaeological assemblages and third, the overall orientation of a particular industry – the sector of ceramics usage at which the principal products are aimed. To tackle all these aspects adequately it is necessary to draw together information on form, nomenclature, fabric, technology, trade, distribution and site-formation processes as well as historical, ethnographic and literary references. It is perhaps not surprising that so much remains to be done, for some of the necessary tools, such as the appropriate statistical techniques for comparing between assemblages or the analytical techniques for identifying organic residues, have only recently become widely available, although others, such as experimental archaeology (Chapter 11) have been used for some time. It is also not entirely clear what results may be expected from studies of vessel or assemblage function or how such information is to be integrated into site reports or regional surveys.

Individual Vessel Function

Artefacts made of fired clay are ubiquitous, and their functions are diverse. Ceramic bricks, tiles, pipes and other forms of building materials are very common, and tubes, funnels and fittings for other industrial processes take advantage of the refractory properties of fired clay. Moulded and fired-clay figurines have a long history, and the use of clay as a medium for figurative art continues to this day. Pottery baths, sarcophagi, portable ovens and similar exotica have been produced at some periods, but perhaps the most important function of ceramics, both now and in the past, has been its use as containers, particularly for the storage, preparation, movement and serving of food.