People, Pottery, and Petrography: Recent research in ceramic petrography

Ceramic petrography has grown from an approach adapted from material scientists to a common method of analysis in archaeology. The combination of both qualitative and quantitative data in petrographic analysis allows it to be applied in a variety of studies, ranging from ceramic manufacturing techniques to the interpretation of social phenomenon, such as exchange, population dispersals, and emulation. The posters in this session are a selection of recent research centered on ceramic petrography from both small-scale and complex societies in the Americas, as well as the western Mediterranean. The wide geographic focus of this session highlights the potential for petrographic research to address complex social questions. In this session, ceramic petrography is used to investigate transitions in social formations within groups and the interactions between different groups, examine the physical properties of coarse crystalline rocks and other manufacturing techniques, and highlight additional sourcing techniques and tools currently used by researchers.