Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

Ceramic Glossary

Laboratory of Archaeology

University of British Columbia

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007
Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

ANTHRO\ZOOMORPHIC
Describes object with human and\or animal features.

APPLIQUÉ
When ceramic is applied to an object. It can be applied anywhere on
the object surface.

BEAD/PENDANT
Small, central bi-conical perforation, made from bone, shell, ceramic,
glass, or stone. See Appendix E for measurements.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated,

Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark,
Perforated, Raised Relief

BEAD, DISC
Usually round flat and perforated only once. Radius is less than the
thickness. See Appendix E for how to measure.

Descriptors: Polished, Perforated

BOWL
Round dish used for holding liquids, foods, etc.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Base (Flat, Footed, Ring), Burnished/Polished, Burnt,

Cord Impressed, Corrugated, Decorated, Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic,
Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Sherd
(Base, Body, Rim),Vessel.

BASE, FLAT
Describes an object with flat base.

BASE, FOOTED/PEDESTAL
Describes an object that has extra material added to base that forms a
ring that flutes out toward end.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

BASE, RING
When the base has extra material added to base that forms a ring.

BOTTLE
A vessel with a narrow opening. May have a handle
Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed,
Corrugated, Decorated, Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved,
Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Sherd Basal, Sherd
Handle, Sherd Rim, Vessel

BURNISHED
When the surface appears polished. Surface is smoothed with another
piece of pottery, bone, or wood before it is fired

BRICK
A block of clay hardened by drying in the sun or burning in a kiln.

Descriptors: Burnt, Decorated, Maker’s Mark

BURNT
To show signs of being in contact with fire. Colour changes to black

BUTTON
Small perforated disk or knob for attaching to an article, such as cloth-
ing, that serves as a fastening device when slipped through a button
hole or loop.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Decorated

Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated,
Raised Relief

COILED
Description of pottery where layers of coils have been laid down and
then worked together into an even wall.
Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007
Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

CORRUGATED
Surface design on ceramic that has consistent rises and valleys that
create a wave-like pattern.

CORD IMPRESSED
When cord has been pressed into the ceramic while it was drying.
When the cord was taken away it left a marking on the surface of the
vessel.

CUP
Round dish with handle used for holding liquids.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed,

Corrugated, Decorated, Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised,
Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Vessel

DRILLED
Manufacturing technique to pierce or bore into object. Will produce
depression with parallel sides.

DOLL
A toy representing a human

EARTHENWARE
A clay fired at low temperatures that does not become waterproof
unless glazed. Earthenwares can be porous and therefore are not as
strong as stonewares and porcelains. Earthenware glazes are usually
very bright in colour. All pre-contact pottery from Canada is
earthenware.

EXCISED
A surface incision when more material is taken away then left behind.
Will give a raised relief effect.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

FIGURINE
An ornamental figure.
Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Decorated
Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated,
Raised Relief

GLAZED
Glazes consist of glassy or metallic chemicals which are painted onto a
vessel surface. When fired, the chemicals in the glaze vitrify and create
a glassy surface which strengthens the vessel body.

GROOVED
Describes a line in surface of object wider than 2mm caused by
abrading or incising.

INCISED
To cut a fine line into the surface less than 2mm wide.

JAR
Wide mouth vessel that has or had a lid. The inside lip of jar will often
be threaded. Jars will not have spouts.
Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed, Corru-
gated, Decorated, Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, In-
cised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Sherd Basal, Sherd Handle,
Sherd Rim, Vessel.

LID
Used to close a vessel.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed, Corru-

gated, Decorated, Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's
Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief.

MODELED
A manufacturing technique that indicates the object was created or
sculpted by hand.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

MAKER’S MARK
A letter, number, or symbol placed on an object by its maker to identify
its creator or origin.

MOLDED
A manufacturing technique where the object was created by being
pressed in a mold. Object will often indicate this process by the
appearance of seams, however, sometimes the seams can be smoothed
and will not be visible.

PAINTED/SLIP
When solid colouring matter has been applied to an object. Slip is when
clay has been watered down to form a paste that is applied to the vessel
as paint. Sometimes very hard to tell the difference between paint and
slip.

PENDANT: SEE BEAD

PERFORATED
Describes an object that has a hole all the way through.

PINCHED
Starting with a ball of clay the potter creates a depression in the ball
and forms a bowl shape through a combination of stroking and pinching
the clay. Many coil-built pieces are constructed on top of a pinched
bottom.

PIPE
Components consisting of a stem that was long and hollow and a bowl
which held the material being smoked. For measurement directions see
Appendix E.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Decorated

Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated,
Raised Relief, Sherd Bowl, Sherd Stem.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

PLATE
A shallow, usually circular dish, from which food is eaten or served.
Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Anthro/
Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised
Relief, Vessel.

POLISHED: SEE BURNISHED

PORCELAIN
Porcelain is a combination of kaolin, silica, and feldspar. A unique
aspect of porcelain is that it can be worked as clay, but when fired
properly reaches a state similar to glass. Primary qualities of porcelain
are translucency and whiteness.

POT
A vessel where the opening is narrower than the body. See Appendix E
for measurement directions.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Decorated

Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated,
Raised Relief, Vessel.

RAISED RELIEF
Molded to the actual body as raised areas in relief from the main body.
Also raised by hand modeling. Mainly decorated in coloured enamels
over the glaze.

SLAB
Molded to the actual body as raised areas in relief from the main body.
Also raised by hand modeling. Mainly clay slabs are cut to shape and
joined together using scoring and wet clay called slip. Slabs can be
draped over or into forms, rolled around cylinders or built up into geo-
metric forms. Large forms are difficult because of stresses on the seams
and because the slab naturally sags.

SHERD, BASAL
Portions of a base are known as basal sherds. Vessel bases occur in
three basic forms: pointed, rounded, or flat. Basal sherds are usually
the thickest sherds from a vessel.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

SHERD, BODY
Body sherds typically lack morphological attributes and occur as either
flat or slightly curved. The curvature of body sherds can serve as an
indication of the general vessel shape.

SHERD, HANDLE
Handle sherds are the handle or part of handle from a vessel.

SHERD, RIM
Rims typically refer to the vessel opening. Rims are usually described
in terms of their profile.

SHERD, UNKNOWN
Use for unidentifiable sherd.

STONEWARE
A high fired ceramic that is vitreous or semi-vitreous, not translucent,
and often made of clays that may or may not be highly refined.
Stoneware is waterproof without glaze. Stoneware can be brown, buff,
or white. Stoneware commonly has some speck and some particulate
material such as sand or fine grog.

TILE
A thin slab, sometimes painted or glazed.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Decorated, Decorated

Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved, Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated,
Raised Relief

TRANSFER PRINT
A descriptor used when a ceramic vessel displays a pixilated pattern.
Some transfer prints can be identified by the seams in the pattern where
they overlap or line up incorrectly.

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007

Laboratory of Archaeology—UBC Ceramic Glossary

VASE
A hollow container usually higher than it is wide.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed,

Corrugated, Decorated, Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved,
Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Vessel

VESSEL
A hollow utensil used for holding liquids.

Descriptors: Appliqué, Burnished/Polished, Burnt, Cord Impressed,

Corrugated, Decorated, Decorated Anthro/Zoomorphic, Excised, Grooved,
Incised, Maker's Mark, Perforated, Raised Relief, Vessel

Partnership of Peoples December 5, 2007