M L2011 WorkshopHandbook

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Handbook for the1st Annual Maya at the Lago Workshop

April 14 17, 2011

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF CERAMICS:Drawing Conventions and Practices in the Maya Area

Prepared byReiko Ishihara-Brito, Ph.D.

Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and CollectionWashington, D.C.


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Table of Contents

I. Why are ceramics important in the archaeological record?.2II. What are ceramic?.2III. What can ceramics tell us?3IV. How are ceramics analyzed? 4V. Why are ceramics illustrated?. 4VI. Basic conventions and creating the drawings.5VII. References..11

Appendices

A. Vessel forms in the Maya area.12

B. Radius chart..14


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I. Why are ceramics important in the archaeological record?Pottery has been the focus of research from a variety of disciplinary perspectivesincluding archaeology for numerous reasons. Humans have produced pottery since

at least 10,000 BC usually by those living in sedentary communities. Because theyare non-perishable, they tend to preserve in the archaeological record. Moreover,they were used by people throughout society, not being restricted to the upperstratum. They were also used in varied contexts from daily residential use to morespecialized use, such as mortuary purposes. Due to their plasticity as a rawmaterial, clay could be formed into a number of different shapes, thus ceramicswere used for a myriad of functions.

These factors are true for the Maya area as well. Ceramics comprise the mostubiquitous artifact class, the majority of which are vessels and sherds (fragments

of vessels). Figurines are also included in this class. This handbook, however,focuses on ceramic vessels and sherds.

II. What are ceramics?The term ceramics stems from the Greek word keramosmeaning potters clay,specifically referring to the fired product rather than the clay raw material. Thetwo most basic components of ceramics are clay and water, the latter which givesthe clay its characteristic plasticity. Inclusions in the claynatural or intentionallyadded (called temper by archaeologists) modify the clays texture andtransform its properties such as stickiness, porosity, shrinkage, drying time, andreaction when fired. Temper may be any number of raw materials including sand,plant f iber, volcanic ash, crushed shell, crushed pottery, or rock. The clay andadded materials is referred to as paste.

The potters wheel was not used by the prehispanic Maya people. Rather ceramicswere formed out of coils or slabs of clay, and molds were sometimes used. Thepottery was then dried and finished. At this time, using a hard tool such as apebble or sherd, surfaces may be treated in the following ways: smoothed to evenout irregularities, leaving a matte surface, burnished to an irregular luster, possiblyleaving lines from the tool, or polished to a uniform, highly glossy surface.

The surface can then be further modified by a range of techniques. Examplesinclude incisions, carvings, punctations, impressions, or appliqus. Color may beadded to the entire surface using slips, not glazes, in the case of the Maya area.Rarely, vessels were coated with a layer of stucco to create a white canvas onwhich to paint. Usually applied after drying and before firing, slips are made of awatery fine clay, usually of a different color than the paste. Ceramics with a single


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color are called monochromes. Prehispanic Maya pottery was often slipped onecolor as the base slip and decorated with various designs, images and sometimestext using different colored paints. When two colors are present, they are referredto as bichromes, and with three or more colors, polychromes. Though few direct

evidence of production locales have been found, the ceramics were likelyproduced in open firings (bonfire kilns) or pit kilns, whose temperatures couldreach about 900 and 1100 degrees, respectively.

The terms ceramics and pottery have technical distinctions: ceramics can referspecifically to high-fired, vitrified, often glazed objects and utensils, while potterycan refer to low-fired, unvitrified objects and utensils. However, in Maya art andarchaeology, these two terms are largely used synonymously, as objects made ofclay during the prehispanic periods were not fired at temperatures sufficiently highenough to become vitrified.

III. What can ceramics tell us?One of the primary purposes of ceramic analysis is to establish chronology for aparticular archaeological site. Certain classes of ceramics recovered fromstratigraphically distinct levels at a site can give a relative chronology of theceramics used at the locale. When these are correlated with other nearby sites, aregional chronology can be established (cross-dating). With the aid of associatedradiocarbon dates, more secure dates of the ceramic types can be achieved.

In the event that there is little or no stratigraphy, seriation can be used. Seriation

simply means to order things in a series. When the sequence is interpreted to bedue to temporal changes, it can serve as a relative dating method. The underlyingassumption for seriation is that a particular style is introduced into society, gainspopularity, then its use declines. With pottery, formal or decorative attributes canbe used to examine its frequency at a site or multiple sites. Plotted on a time vsfrequency graph, frequency seriations show lens-shaped curves, with the peak ofthe styles popularity corresponding to the widest point.

In addition to chronology, ceramics can be studied to examine how they wereused. As tools, different shapes of pots and distinct pastes may reflect decisions

on the part of the producers and users on the functions of the vessels. Certainly,the archaeological context from which the vessels were recovered will also aid inthe interpretation of the vessels use. Vessel use can also be examined directly byanalyzing material remains within the vessels, chemical residues, and use wear.Glyphic texts on vessels may describe the intended contents and owner of the pot.Pastes can be examined microscopically and instrumental neutron activationanalysis. These studies may help understand production and distribution patterns


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VI. Basic conventions and creating the drawingsSome of the key components of illustrations are described here. It should benoted that archaeological illustrations have evolved through time and vary from

geographic area. The conventions used likewise vary, and are not always uniformlyapplied in the same discipline. Having said that, the conventions presented hereare the more common ones in the Maya area.

Basic equipment necessary in producing good quality illustrations include thefollowing: a high-intensity, non-fluorescent lamp to illuminate details to facilitateobservation of the object; magnifying glass to study details; calipers to takemeasurements; ruler for drawing straight lines; triangle rulers (connect the twowith tape); and sharp pencils and eraser. Inking pens may be used but the recenttrend is to do the inking using computer software such as Adobe Illustrator.

Prior to starting the actual illustration, it is useful to start with the followingcomponents on your graph paper. A scale bar should always be drawn, not onlywritten in letters. It is standard practice to use the metric system (mm, cm). Thusit is important that you use metric graph paper.

cm0 1 2 3 4 5

The header on the paper should consist of information on the object includingartifact type and form, provenience information, date of the drawing, illustrators

name, and perhaps project name.

Typically, pottery is drawn in the way they would be used with the vessel rim ormouth at the top and the base of the pot at the bottom, as if placed horizontallyon a flat surface. Rim sherds are drawn according to their proper orientation withthe vessel mouth opening upward and the plane of the mouth horizontal. Basesherds are oriented downward in a way that maximizes the contact between thebase and the flat surface on which it rests. Body sherds, when possible, should beoriented so that they reflect the proper orientation based on coil construction,smoothing, or other surface treatment, which are usually horizontal.Understanding the original vessel form may aid in interpreting the sherdsapproximate placement on the pot. Appendages such as handles and spouts thatare not attached to rims or bases should likewise be oriented, when possible,according to the deduced original vessel form.

A single illustration of a ceramic vessel or vessel fragment should depict the vesselform, profile and vertical section (thickness of the vessel or sherd), rim (or base)


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diameter (if possible), and interior and exterior surface treatments. For sherds, thelargest possible reconstructed shape of the pot should be depicted. The left half ofthe drawing depicts the section (cutaway view, as if of the vessel was cut out)and interior of the vessel, while the right half shows the exterior.

Key to a good drawing is clean, crisp, and thin lines. There should only be onethin, solid, continuous line. Reconstructed lines are drawn in dotted lines. Always

be sure the pencil is sharp. If a mistake is made, be sure to erase completely.

Drawing a rim or base sherd

The first step is to take measurements. Assuming that the original vessel wascircular in plan, the rim and base diameter can be established by either using arim radius template (see Appendix B) or a drawing compass. With a radiustemplate, simply place the rim on the paper so that no light shines through andfind the closest match in curvature (see figure below).


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If using a drawing compass (see figure below), place the rim on a piece of paperand trace the curvature of the rim (or base). Then, mark four points on the curve.Place the needle of the drawing compass on each dot and draw a half circle. The

point where the two arcs meet is the center point of the vessel. Thus, simplymeasure from the traced arc of the rim (base) sherd to the center point. This isthe rim (base) radius. Make a note of the rim (base) diameter under the headerfor reference.

The next step is to start your illustration. Using a ruler, draw a horizontal line thelength of the rim diameter. At the halfway point, draw a perpendicular linedownward from the first line. If you have a large enough sherd that includes bothrim and base (or a whole vessel), then you can measure the height; the verticalline will then correspond to the vessel height. Draw another horizontal line at thebottom of the graph paper where the vertical line ends, which becomes the

baseline. The base diameter can also be established using the radius template.These are your stance lines. The horizontal line represents the top of the vesseland the vertical line marks the center line that divides the section drawing on theleft hand side and the exterior view on the right hand side.

To draw the profile and section of the sherd, there are two simple ways. If thebroken edge of the sherd happens to be broken vertically, then you can trace theouter and inner sherd profile, given that you hold the sherd in its properorientation (as you did in the radius template, but now holding the sherd right sideup). The other way is to use a formagauge, also known as a profile gauge. Theformagauge is used against the surface of the sherd so that it retains the shape of

the sherd, which can then be used to trace onto your paper. Then, using a caliper,measure the thickness of the sherd at the rim and at the broken bottom edge.Mark the thicknesses onto the paper with a small dot. Using the formagauge, orcontour gauge, capture the curvature of the sherdboth the interior and exteriorsurfacesand trace it onto your paper, keeping in mind the sherds thickness you

just measured. The broken edge should be depicted with a line distinct from your


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profile line. The outer and inner surfaces of the sherd should be shown to becontinuing past the broken edge by drawing a single, short line following thegeneral curvature of the sherd.

Using the tracing paper, trace the outer profile along with part of the horizontalstance line. Then turn the paper over and align the horizontal line on the tracingpaper to that on the graph paper, making sure that the prof ile corresponds to theend of the stance line. Then, trace over the tracing paper. The line will betransferred to the graph paper, which you can then trace over to solidify theprofile for the right hand side of the drawing. You can also fold the graph paperalong the vertical central line and trace the prof ile without using tracing paper.

Any sharp edges or turns in the sherd surface, such as ridges, flanges, and foldedover lips, should be shown as a horizontal line.

Finally, add any surface decorations on both interior and exterior sides of thesherd. Oftentimes, for Maya ceramics, if the vessel contains a surface treatmentsuch as slips that cover the entire vessel or painted bands that encircle the wholevessel, then to simplify the drawing, the color representation is depicted within athin rectangular block (see figure below).

The standard color conventions (based on Smith 1955, II:ix) used for Mayaceramics are the following:


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Drawing a complete vessel

The first steps in drawing a complete vessel are the same as drawing a rim sherd.Taking measurements is much easier as you can measure the pot directly.

Obviously, there are more measurements that can be taken, including height, basediameter, and width of the vessel (if the vessel bulges out and is greater than therim and base). To take the measurements, place the vessel on a flat surface. Theplane of this surface corresponds to the baseline that you drew on your graphpaper.

Using the triangles, note the point of contact (widest point on the vessel) andmeasure the height from the table surface and the distance between the rim andthe triangle. Mark the point of contact on your paper. Then, draw a vertical, lightline that goes through the point of contact, as a reference line for the next step.

Note that you should use either a small dot or a point with a feathery tail. Withthe latter, it is easier to see the points that were taken.

Next, points along the vessel wall are taken and plotted on the graph paper. Usethe reference line you just drew as a guide to plot the measured points. Like thecontact point, you will take two measurements for each point: height from thetable surface and distance from the triangle (which is the reference line on thegraph paper) to the vessel wall. The number of points you take is up to you andthe complexity of the vessel silhouette.

Then, connect the dots with a light line, observing and following the vesselcurvature. This is the outer line of the profile drawing. Once you are satisfied withthe line, then you can trace it with a more solid line.


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In order to complete the profile, the next step is to show the thickness of thevessel. The rim may be easily measured using a caliper. Depending on the type ofcaliper you have, the caliper may also reach to measure additional points furtherdown the vessel. The thickness of the base can be measured by inserting a ruler

vertically to the center point of the vessel interior along with another straightedgelaid horizontally on the rim. Additional points can be taken along the base interior.These are then connected as you did with the outer line of the profile.

Assuming bilateral symmetry, the right-hand side of the drawing, that is, the sideshowing the exterior of the vessel, can be drawn now as we did for the rim sherd.


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VII. References

Banning, E. B.2000 The Archaeologists Laboratory: The Analysis of Archaeological Data.

Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.

Boot, Erik2005 A Preliminary Overview of Common and Uncommon Classic Maya

Vessel Type Collocations in the Primary Standard Sequence.http://www.mayavase.com/BootVesselTypes.pdf

Hodges, Elaine R. S., ed.2003 The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustrations. 2nd edition. John Willeyand Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Houston, Stephen D., David Stuart, and Karl A. Taube1989 Folk Classif ication of Classic Maya Pottery. American Anthropologist91:720-726.

Olin, Joyce and Brian D. Dillon1987 Ceramics. In The Students Guide to Archaeological Illustrating, editedby Brian D. Dillon, pp.95-109. Second edition. Archaeological ResearchTools, Volume 1. Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los

Angeles.

Rice, Prudence1987 Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Sabloff, Jeremy A.1975 Ceramics. In Excavations at Seibal, Department of Peten, Guatemala,Number 2. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, HarvardUniversity, Cambridge, Mass.

Sinopoli, Carla M.1991 Approaches to Archaeological Ceramics. Plenum Press, New York.

Stuart, David2005 Vessel Typology and Terms. In Sourcebook for the 29th MayaHieroglyph Forum. Department of Art and Art History, University of Texas,

Austin.


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Appendix A. Vessel forms in the Maya area

In general, standard practices in ceramic analyses in the Maya area apply theterminology of general vessel forms defined by the Ceibal project (Sabloff

1975:22-23, Figs. 9-13): plate, dish, bowl, vase, and jar.

Plate: vessel with height less than 1/5 its diameter. (a) may be also specif icallycalled comal. See comment for dish.

Dish: vessel with height between 1/3 and 1/5 its diameter. Commonly, thecategory of dish and plate are combined, especially because in Spanish the termplato is used to refer to both ranges of vessel shapes.

Bowl: vessel with height no more than equal but no less than 1/3 of its diameter.Gourd-like globular vessels with a restricted orifice, similar to (f), are referredspecifically as tecomates.

Vase: vessel with height greater than diameter.

Jar: necked vessel, whose height is greater than its maximum diameter, with anindependent restricted orifice. Jars with globular bodies (c), usually water jars,with a highly restricted neck and orifice are called tinajas, as they are continued tobe used today. Jars with a wider orif ice are called ollas(d).


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Emic definitions of vessel forms have been identified in the glyphic texts (Boot2005; Houston et al. 1989; Stuart 2005).

(adapted from Houston et al. 1989:Figure 2)


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Appendix B: Radius chart


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