Pottery and People (Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry) - Softcover

James Skibo (editor) & Gary Feinman (editor)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0874805775 ISBN 13: 9780874805772

Publisher: University of Utah Press, 1999

Synopsis

This volume emphasizes the complex interactions between ceramic containers and people in past and present contexts. Pottery, once it appears in the archaeological record, is one of the most routinely recovered artifacts. It is made frequently, broken often, and comes in endless varieties according to economic and social requirements. Moreover, even in shreds ceramics can last almost forever, providing important clues about past human behavior. The contributors to this volume, all leaders in ceramic research, probe the relationship between humans and ceramics. Here they offer new discoveries obtained through traditional lines of inquiry, demonstrate methodological breakthroughs, and expose innovative new areas for research. Among the topics covered in this volume are the age at which children begin learning pottery making; the origins of pottery in the Southwest U.S., Mesoamerica, and Greece; vessel production and standardization; vessel size and food consumption patterns; the relationship between pottery style and meaning; and the role pottery and other material culture plays in communication. Pottery and People provides a cross-section of the state of the art, emphasizing the complete interactions between ceramic containers and people in past and present contexts. This is a milestone volume useful to anyone interested in the connections between pots and people.

About this title

About the Author

James Skibo is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Illinois State University. Gary Feinman is professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Utah Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874805775
• ISBN 13: 9780874805772
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 276