Ask An Archaeologist: Live Q & A With Ceramics Analyst Mary Ownby

In this special livestream we will be talking with an archaeologist who is expert in ancient ceramics. Mary Ownby works as a ceramics analyst examining ancient pottery and revealing their secrets. Find out how she uses ceramic petrography to learn where a pot was made and ask her your questions live.

Learn more about Mary Ownby on her website at https://www.ownbyanalytical.com/

🔗 LINKS
John Olsen's Go Fund Me https://gofund.me/4b14d31a
Southwest Kiln Conference - https://www.swkiln.com/
Ancient Potters Club - https://ancientpottery.how/ancient-potters-club/

0:00 Meet Mary Ownby
4:31 What kind of information can we learn about ancient sherds from examining them under a microscope?
10:27 How do you start your research, and does it involve actual field work?
14:50 What are the different methods of analyzing sherds?
19:46 How do you determine the chemical composition of clay and porcelain. What technology do you use to do this?
24:40 Why is it so darn hard to determine which clays were used by local prehistoric potters?
29:21 Are there samples of pottery that have tested to have basalt as a tempering agent? Would basalt add fluxing to the clay, or harm the integrity/strength?
33:23 Is Coil-and-Scrape pottery distinguishable from other pottery at the micrscopic level? If so, what evidence is there and which type of microscopy is used?
36:44 What would be the average firing temperatures in a hearth type pottery firing from , say 500 to 1200 AD . In our southwest pottery
40:41 In your research in California sites such as in Riverside County and the Coachella Valley, what does your research tell us about the people who lived there, their lifestyle, and their pottery making? Do they belong to an archeological culture?
42:45 Why central and northern California native sites do not turn up much pottery? I've seen some articles showing some, but it is oddly primitive and there isn't much.
49:36 I'm curious whether she has run into anything she finds particularly surprising?
57:14 How do you determine the age of the pottery?
59:19 How can you tell the temperature pottery was fired at?

⭐️ Social media
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/andywardpottery
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ancientpottery/

📬 Send me mail
Andy Ward PO Box 43601 Tucson, AZ 85733

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