ceramic typology

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the systematic classification of pottery and ceramic objects by their form, fabric, decoration, surface treatment, and firing technology to establish chronological sequences and cultural identifications in archaeological assemblages; ceramic typology works on the principle that pottery styles change over time in recognisable ways and that similar styles tend to appear across sites that were in contact with each other, enabling archaeologists to date deposits without absolute dating methods and to trace patterns of trade, cultural influence, and population movement; ceramic typologies have been developed for most well-studied regions and periods of human prehistory and history and remain among the most powerful tools in the archaeologist's interpretive toolkit, though the construction of typologies involves unavoidable subjective judgements about which attributes are significant