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Introduction to Ceramic Technology

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Abstract

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the book whose aim is to provide a cutting-edge theoretical and methodological framework, as well as a practical guide, for archaeologists, students, and researchers to study ceramic assemblages and their diachronic and synchronic variability. As opposed to the conventional typological approach, the proposed framework is based on a technological approach. Founding works in the domain of ceramic technology emphasize the anthropological dimension of techniques and the relevant features to identify them. However, up until now, no methodology for classifying archaeological assemblages in a systematic order has been developed to enable their sociological interpretation. The implementation of this methodology, based on the concept of chaîne opératoire, is at the heart of this book and governs the organization of the different chapters of this book. Their sequencing is ruled by the didactic need not only to explain how to study archaeological series but also why the study methods presented here are essential for approaching ambitious interpretations in a well-founded way.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In French: “La technique est à la fois geste et outil, organisés en chaîne par une véritable syntaxe qui donne aux séries opératoires à la fois leur fixité et leur souplesse.”

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  1. Préhistoire & Technologie, UMR 7055, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Nanterre, France

    Valentine Roux

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Roux, V. (2019). Introduction to Ceramic Technology. In: Ceramics and Society. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03973-8_1

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