Incorporating Image Analysis into Ceramic Thin-section Petrography

Summary

In 2002, our laboratory received a grant from NCPTT to research digital image analysis of petrographic thin sections. Two years previously we published our first paper on the application of image analysis to thin-section studies; the enormous potential of this line of research was apparent, but to fully pursue it would require a period of dedicated time and effort. The NCPTT grant gave us this time, and allowed us to purchase new software packages and upgrade our computer and microscope digital camera capabilities. That original grant resulted in a document comparing two comprehensive commercial software packages and one free shareware package, taking each through a series of typical operations important for image analysis of archaeological thin sections. Twelve years later, image analysis is a routine part of thin-section petrography research in our laboratory. We currently focus on ceramic studies, which now incorporate both traditional qualitative thin-section petrography (such as identification of minerals and other aplastics, geological comparisons, and inferring fabrication and production methods) and collection of quantitative data through image analysis. Examples illustrating these new routines will focus mainly on low- and high-fired ceramics (particles, pores, and decorative layers) from a variety of sites in China, especially within Sichuan Province.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• 20 Year Retrospective of National Center for Preservation Technology and Training sponsored Archaeology.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage