Classification Systems with a Plot: Vessel Forms and Ceramic Typologies in the Spanish Atlantic

Summary

The majority of current studies of Spanish ceramics rely heavily on a typology based on American excavations and collections. While decades of use and refinement have made this system invaluable for dating sites and recognizing trade patterns in the Americas, its focus on morphology and archaeological ceramic types does little to explain how individuals used and perceived their ceramics. In this paper, I argue that using a vessel-based classification system in addition to existing ceramic typologies will enable archaeologists to explore deeper questions regarding behavior as well as emic (user-ascribed) views of the objects recovered in excavations. Using case studies from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain and St. Augustine, Florida, I intend to show how a focus on vessels could be a more productive approach that highlights activities and functions rather than types and dates.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Las preguntas que cuentan: Ideas and interpretations in Latin American Historical Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-33,09