This study digs beneath the cultural façade of pottery, delving deeper into the individual consciousness and choices behind the selection of the clays used to make them. The social significance of clay and its sourcing practices is rarely considered in ceramic studies, and is generally restricted to an assessment of technical properties. This subject is thus poorly theorised, ignoring the potential of that first choice and act in the social process of ceramic production. This thesis sets out a theoretical approach – raw-material spatialisation – and utilises a ceramic petrographic methodology designed to investigate social change through the changing composition of ceramic fabrics. The study focuses on the continuous pottery sequence spanning the 4th-11th century AD in Cornwall, a period of immense social, religious and political change, viewed in its regional and national context. The first synthesis of ceramic traditions in the South West for 50 years, this study highlights previously overlooked similarities in the phases of ceramic innovation and production between Cornwall and western Wessex and the role of Devon as an aceramic buffer zone. Previous studies have highlighted the selection and preference of gabbroic clays, unique to the Lizard Peninsula, used in the production of pottery in Cornwall since the start of Neolithic and which became a tradition that lasted roughly 5000 years. Interpretation has rarely moved beyond David Peacock’s original assumption of the technical superiority of this material. This study challenges and overturns that assumption, establishing that social choice was the motivating factor in its procurement. The repeated use of gabbroic clay created and maintained a shared social reality within the socialised landscape occupied by the past peoples of Cornwall. Gabbroic clay had a totemic meaning within society: its source became a node in the socialised landscape; and its repeated extraction and distribution maintained not only society but regional kinship networks and their identities. The shift away from the exploitation of this totemic material towards clays sourced locally to settlements around the 7th-8th century coincides with the growing influence of Christianity in Cornwall. One of the early monastic foundations was strategically placed at its socially significant gabbro source eventually eroding its totemic meaning. The end of the gabbroic tradition and the region’s resilient decentralised system of pottery production came with the Norman Conquest, when the creation of a new market centres, networks and systems of landownership forcibly integrated Cornwall into the wider national framework once more. This study conclusively demonstrates that the selection of a clay source should be interpreted as an indicator of social, and not merely technical or economic, choice. It also establishes that the use of a rigorous and systematic programme of scientific inquiry, combined with an informed theoretical perspective, can identify the evidence for social change behind the façade of the otherwise largely static pottery traditions of the 5th-11th centuries AD in most parts of the British Isles.

The present thesis provides and examination of the Greek imports from Al Mina dating from the end of the 9th to the end of the 7th centuries BC. Al Mina, located on the Orontes river in the Hatay province of Turkey, was excavated by L. Woolley in 1936 and 1937. In particular the large quantities of Greek imports recovered from the sites triggered a debate about the site’s function and it’s foundation date. In order to overcome past deficiencies the present thesis provides a detailed record of the Greek pottery recovered from the site. The fragments are analysed stylistically and dated in order to establish a local chronology. Further, a detailed statistical study of the whole assemblage, which comprises about 4800 pieces, reveals evidence for local consumption patterns and further sheds light on the ports external contacts during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. The study also entails a contextual analysis of specific Near Eastern sites in order to set Al Mina in its regional context. Three questions are of major concern in this respect: is it possible to identify the users of Greek pottery in the East in terms of their socio-economic background? Further, is Greek pottery better understood as a commodity or as a gift? Finally, What role does Greek tableware play within the trade with other commodities? The study illustrates that pottery primarily circulated within the lower social classes. It also highlighted a diverse pattern in which high quality products are circulating besides “mass ware”. This can be understood as a diversification process that was initiated in order to reach a wider range of consumers.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Fine Art, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This dissertation sets out to investigate the interpretation of the garden in the work of Marianne North (1840-1926), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) and my art practice. The garden has historically been a site for man’s interaction with nature and has been the subject of interpretation by Fine Art and Botanic artists throughout history. Marianne North’s (1830-1890) interpretation of the garden is positioned somewhere between Victorian flower painter and Botanic artist. An intrepid traveller, she could be considered as a topographical artist in that she documented the gardens and the flora and fauna of the countries she visited. The focus is on her visit to South Africa in 1883. Claude Monet (1840-1926), in his late Impressionist interpretation of the garden, focused on the seasonal play of light on his Japanese inspired garden at Giverny. Artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) in his interpretation of his garden Little Sparta, acknowledges the transience of the garden and its constant metamorphosis. His three dimensional poetry in the form of inscribed rocks and sculptures reflects his interpretation of the garden as a location of contestation. In an exhibition titled Hortus Conclusis I explore the fragility of the garden through the use of porcelain as a metaphor for the transience of life. / M

Este trabalho buscou sistematizar e analisar artefatos da cerâmica ritual Mochica e Nasca, pertencentes a coleções de diversos museus, cuja morfologia ou iconografia pode ser atribuída às representações de personagens portando ou tocando flautas de pã. Partimos da premissa de que estas representações aparecem em um conjunto de artefatos cerâmicos produzidos de acordo com uma normatização rígida, controlada por elites de poder político-religioso de uma sociedade hierarquicamente estruturada. Assim, a forma como os músicos estão representados na cerâmica pode revelar muito sobre seu papel social, sua relação com as estruturas de poder locais, bem como sobre a simbologia desse instrumento sonoro nas cosmovisões Mochica e Nasca, nos Andes Pré- Colombianos. / This paper aims to systematize and analyse the artifacts pertaining to a variety of museum\'s collections, which iconography or morphology can be ascribed to depictions of characters holding or playing panpipes on Moche and Nasca ritual pottery. We start from the premise that these representations appear in a set of ceramic artifacts produced according to a rigid standardization, controlled by elites holding the political and religious power. Thus, the way these musicians are displayed on pottery can reveal much about their social role, the imaginary place they hold in the minds of the Moche and Nasca peoples, their relation to the worldview and with their local power structures, as well as the symbolism of this instrument to these societies in the Pre-Columbian Andes.

Neste estudo, pretendo realizar um ensaio interpretativo sobre grafismos presentes na cerâmica arqueológica Tupi que compõem parte do acervo de museus e instituições de pesquisa do interior paulista. Para tanto, proponho um diálogo com outras áreas do conhecimento, como a antropologia da arte e a etnohistória. A primeira contribui para o entendimento das relações estabelecidas entre sujeito (pessoa) e objeto, também entendido enquanto agente social, segundo a teoria de Gell. A segunda propõe a leitura crítica de documentos etnohistóricos, entre eles registros de cronistas (a fim de compreender em que contextos sociais o uso de tais peças era recorrente) e também documentos etnográficos, sobretudo àqueles que apresentam narrativas mitológicas das populações de matriz cultural Tupi, pois como apresentou Tochetto (1996), acredito que estes motivos são representativos de fatos e personagens mitológicos. / In this study, I intend to carry out an interpretative essay on Tupi archaeological pottery painting, in which integrates the collection of museums and research institutions in the country side of the state of São Paulo. Therefore, I propose a dialogue with other areas of knowledge, such as Anthropology of Art and Ethnohistory. The first one contributes to understand the relations established between the person and the object, also understood as social agent, according to Gell\'s theory. The second one proposes a critical view of ethnohistorical documents, among them chroniclers\' records (in order to understand in what social contexts the use of such pieces was recurrent) and ethnographic documents, especially those that present mythological narratives of the Tupi peoples. As Tochetto (1996) presented, I believe that these motifs are representative of mythological facts and characters.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo caracterizar e identificar a natureza de recursos cerâmicos brasileiros utilizando métodos físicos não destrutivos. O estudo está inserido na área interdisciplinar da Arqueometria e envolve a participação de pesquisadores do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia da Universidade de São Paulo (MAE-USP). As amostras analisadas são de grande interesse arqueológico, pois foram coletadas em uma região do Pantanal sul-matogrossense que possui um complexo processo de ocupação envolvendo diversas tradições culturais, entre as quais a tradição Guarani e a tradição Pantanal. Os fragmentos cerâmicos foram caracterizados através das técnicas de Emissão de Raios X Induzido por Partícula (PIXE) e Fluorescência de Raios X (XRF) para a determinação da composição da matriz da pasta cerâmica e através da técnica de Radiografia Computadorizada para a investigação da estrutura interna das peças. A técnica PIXE permitiu uma caracterização dos elementos majoritários encontrados na matriz cerâmica (Z<26), usados na previsão do valor da densidade da matriz. A técnica XRF foi utilizada para determinar as concentrações elementares com destaque para os elementos minoritários (Z>26, wt%<5%) presentes na pasta cerâmica. Essas técnicas, quando associadas a métodos de análise estatísticos permitiram um melhor entendimento do conjunto de amostras. Os resultados encontrados apontam uma clara diferença na composição elementar das amostras encontradas nos diferentes sítios arqueológicos e pertencentes às diferentes tradições. Com a aplicação da técnica de Radiografia as amostras foram separadas de acordo com a presença de tempero em sua estrutura e através da análise das imagens radiográficas foi determinada a densidade dos fragmentos. Neste trabalho foi possível estabelecer uma relação entre os fragmentos cerâmicos estudados às suas tradições, assim como aos sítios arqueológicos nos quais foram coletados. / The present work aims to characterize and identify the nature of Brazilian ceramics using non-destructive physical methods. The study is inserted in the interdisciplinary area of the Archaeometry and involves the participation of researchers from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of the University of São Paulo (MAE-USP). The analyzed samples are of great archaeological interest, as they have been collected in a region of Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso do sul with a complex settlement process that involves different cultural traditions like the Guarani tradition and the tradition Pantanal. The ceramic fragments were characterized through the techniques of X-ray Emission Particle-Induced (PIXE) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to determine the composition of the matrix of the ceramic paste and using the technique of Computed Radiography for the investigation of internal structure of the sherds. PIXE technique allowed a characterization of majoritarian elements found in ceramic matrix (Z < 26) and was used in the prediction of the density of the paste. XRF technique was used to determine the elemental concentration with emphasis on the minority elements (Z> 26, wt% < 5%) presents in ceramic paste. These techniques, when associated with statistical methods of analysis allow a better understanding of the sample set. The results show a clear difference in the elemental composition of the samples found in different archaeological sites and from different cultural traditions. By applying the technique of X-ray samples were separated according to the presence of temper in its structure and through images was obtained the density of fragments. In this work it was possible to establish a link between the studied ceramic fragments to their traditions, as well as the archaeological sites in which they were collected.

The Wickliffe Thick pottery type, an unusual vessel with a globular body, thick wall, and funnel-like opening at the bottom, has been assumed to be related to salt production and/or juice pressing. The following project presents the results of a use-wear analysis in order to understand Wickliffe Thick’s possible uses demonstrating that past conclusions likely need revision. A systematic, macroscopic analysis of ceramic sherds from more than 20 Mississippian sites throughout Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois are included in the study. Use-wear on the samples occur in a low frequency. Although other factors such as a white efflorescence, and Wickliffe Thick’s temporal and spatial layout may hint at its usage in the nixtamalization process. This paper lays out the evidence for these hypotheses while also recording the characteristics of Wickliffe Thick across the southeastern United States.

Utilitarian unglazed ceramics constitute an important range of evidence for investigating cultural and economic identities. The present research project analyses commonly used, unglazed Byzantine vessels from stratified contexts, excavated in Ancient Corinth (ASCSA), in close comparison with vessels from Sparta and Argos (Peloponnese - Greece). The first goal of this thesis is to provide an updated overview of the specific types of unglazed, utilitarian vessels used in these sites. Through a quantitative analysis, applied to ceramics, this study presents a seriation of specific types of unglazed utilitarian vessels from the Byzantine Period (8th - 13th centuries), which suggests a revised chronology of use for these vessels. Furthermore, this study also provides an analysis of how vessels changed shape and fabric over time and how Byzantine history and related domestic environments influenced the quantity and quality of utilitarian objects. Quantitative studies of unglazed pottery, based upon type and fabric, can produce relevant information for delineating technological, economic and social patterns on a local and a regional scale. Quantifying the presence and the percentage of unglazed pottery types in relation to their contexts makes it possible to identify technological, economic and cultural networks in which those pots were produced, used, reused and discarded. The production of coarse and cooking wares in the 8th century inherited a Late Roman artisanal tradition. Additionally, these wares are also characterized by a changed scale of production and by transformed manufacturing practices, which are further developed in the Byzantine period and cease only some decades after the Frankish conquest of the Peloponnese. Diverse utilitarian vessels were part of a typological koine in the Byzantine period; the same types have been found in stratified deposits excavated in different sites across the Peloponnese and beyond. The appearance of these vessels may be used, primarily, to suggest date ranges and to denote regional and interregional trade. Furthermore, such typological consistency is evidence for connectivity and for exchange, which encompasses not only the exchange of goods, but also of technical know-how. The same types of wares were possibly produced simultaneously in distant sites. For instance, there are striking similarities between the Early and Middle Byzantine coarse and cooking wares produced in Corinth and those produced in Salento (Southern Apulia, Italy). Due to these similarities, utilitarian unglazed wares may be studied as a proxy for patterns of social, cultural and economic networks of exchange in the Byzantine period between these two regions. Finally, this study would like to investigate how the presence or absence, the frequency and the relative proportions of pottery types are determined by socio-economic factors. An analysis of the manufactory tradition, including variations in technology of production and of vessel morphologies, within the appropriate historical context, can be indicative of social and economic patterns. Pottery can demonstrate the components of effective demand and can, therefore, be an important tool for measuring patterns of production and consumption in relation to economic trends. This project tests diverse research methodologies in order to analyse how ceramics, set within a wide and multifocal range of historical and archaeological sources, can be informative of economic patterns and changes.

Orientador: Geralda M. F. S. Dalglish (Lalada Dalglish) / Banca: Jean-Jacques Armand Vidal / Banca: Marosil Marini / Banca: Camila da Costa Lima / Banca: Sonia Carbonell Alvares / Resumo: Percebendo uma dinâmica na cerâmica indígena que é fruto de agências e seus efeitos de captura sobre os receptores desta arte, a pesquisa faz uma aproximação às relações socioambientais e cosmologias, andina e amazônica, para compreender as ontologias indígenas e as relações de alteridade com seres míticos como a serpente, que desencadeiam transformações sociais nas aldeias. A atuação do xamanismo na produção de conceitos e de pessoa está inscrita nas produções cerâmicas através de referências à serpente como nos kene Shipibo-Conibo e na iconografia cerâmica andina pré-colombiana, indicando que os saberes cerâmicos indígenas funcionam em rede cosmológica na América do Sul. / Resumen: Percibiendo una dinámica en la cerámica indígena que es fruto de agencias y sus efectos de captura sobre los receptores de esta arte, la investigación hace una aproximación a las relaciones socioambientales y cosmologías, andina y amazónica, para comprender las ontologías indígenas y las relaciones de alteridad con seres míticos como la serpiente, que desencadenan transformaciones sociales en las aldeas. La atuación del xamanismo en la producción de conceptos y de persona está inscrita en las producciones cerámicas a través de referencias a la serpiente, como los kene, el dibujo Shipibo-Conibo, y en la iconografía cerámica andina precolombina, indicando que los saberes cerámicos indígenas funcionan en red cosmológica en América del Sur. / Abstract: Noticing a dynamic in the indigenous ceramics that is the result of agencies and their capture effects on the receptors of this art, the research makes an approximation to the socio-environmental relations and cosmologies, Andean and Amazonian, to understand the indigenous ontologies and the relations of alterity with mythical beings like the serpent that trigger social transformations in the communities. The agency of the xamanism in the production of concepts and of person is inscribed in the ceramic productions through references to the serpent as the kene, drawings Shipibo-Conibo, and prehispanic Andean ceramic iconography, indicating that indigenous ceramic knowledge functions in a cosmological network in South America. / Mestre

Art, for all its apparent simplicity is anything but straightforward. I admire and strive to make work that, when first introduced is both comfortable and exciting. I aim for work that is true to its medium. I want my work to be approachable, inviting, though questioning and introspective just the same. I think art should make the world a better place. I admire the technicality that is inherent to minimalism. I think at the least, an acceptable piece of art should be an insight into the world of the viewer.