Plain Wares - What's in a name? How do they look? Where do they come from? How were they made? Why studying them?

The questions raised in the title are included to draw attention to the
importance and the significance of plain wares in the LC record. Many
scholars are confronted with plain wares but do not always take full
advantage of the possibilities that they can offer. Therefore, one of the
purposes of this paper is to make the reader more susceptible to the
benefits of more detailed study of plain wares (why study plain wares).
The focus will be on fabric variation (how do they look) since that research
angle has never been the subject of a thorough study1. Establishing the
extent of fabric variation provides the starting point for looking at the
relationship between technological and functional variations in the plain
wares. Recording the ceramic variation at one site will allow
characterisation of production (how were they made) and the social
organisation of production. This assemblage will be compared with other
contemporary sites to establish distribution and consumption models. This
in turn will enable us to examine interaction patterns with a focus on
production and exchange. It will also allow us to observe if local traditions
were in use and how this knowledge was transferred with a possibility of
specialist responses to it. Finally, this will help to typify some socioeconomic
aspects of LC society (e.g. centralised-localised production and
control) by presenting how different communities of the LC behaved on
both a local and an island-wide scale.
Of course, finding answers will not always be straightforward and the
historical overview will help clarify the sometimes confusing terminology
of plain wares (what's in a name - where do they come from).

ISBN:1-4438-2571-9

Jaar van publicatie:2010

Trefwoorden:Plain Wares, ceramics