Creating a Historical Ceramic Type Collection: A Case Study from the MARTA Archaeological Collection

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

One of the most durable and valuable datasets historical archaeologists work with are ceramic materials, which vary by use and time and provide archaeologists with chronological and socioeconomic information. To better understand the variability in this class of material culture, archaeologists have created ceramic types that highlight the variation of decoration and paste vitreosity. This allows for inter-site and inter-regional ceramic comparisons. This presentation highlights the processes involved in and the results of creating a ceramic type collection for the GSU Phoenix Project; the Phoenix Project aims at analyzing artifacts excavated in the 1970s that show the history of Atlanta. This involved an in-depth study of post-Civil War ceramic sherds from Atlanta. Through thorough archival and hands-on research, the sherds were identified and placed into typological categories to showcase the variability of historical Atlanta ceramics and can be used as a resource for future research on Atlanta’s past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow