The technology of ceramic reuse

Formation processes and archaeological evidence

Bibliographic Data

ID3919654
AuthorsAlan P Sullivan (University of Cincinnati, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume21
Issue1
Pages101-114
Publication date1989-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.1989.9980093
OpenAlexW2059438149
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited29

Archaeological and ethnoarchaeological research has shown that broken and discarded ceramics may represent potentially useful artifacts in storage or ‘provisional discard’. Because they are durable, fire‐resistant, and easily modified ‐ properties that are rarely associated with products of the natural environment ‐ reused ceramics may be used to solve a variety of technical problems of daily life. Thus, a substantial portion of ceramic assemblages that have been interpreted as ‘trash’ may, in fact, represent important elements of the technology of ceramic‐using societies. These points are illustrated with an analysis based on the exhaustive refitting of ceramics from a Kayenta Anasazi settlement, located near the Grand Canyon in the American Southwest, which was excavated completely

Archaeology · Canyon · Ceramic · Ethnoarchaeology · Geomorphology · Metallurgy · Reuse · Settlement (finance · Waste management · World Wide Web · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Engineering · Geology · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Materials Science

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