Norman – How did ancient potters make their clay? What did they add to keep it from expanding too much, or not setting enough? For years, anthropologists have used various painstaking and expensive processes to discover the secrets of ancient pottery making.
At the University of Oklahoma, an assistant professor is working on developing a faster and less expensive method for studying pottery found at archaeological sites.
Patrick Livingood, assistant professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently was awarded $50,000 by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, a branch of the National Park Service, to develop the use of high-resolution digital cameras and digital image analysis software to study the technological choices made by ancient potters in preparing their clay for use.
“By reducing the cost so that larger sample sizes can be studied than were previously possible, it is anticipated that we can learn much more from archaeological ceramics and the millions of pottery fragments in museum repositories,” says Livingood. “For example, it may be possible to detect the minute differences in technological choices made by individual potters or communities of potters, letting us discover much about ancient peoples.”
Livingood researches the archaeology of the southeastern United States and the application of computer technology to the investigation of archaeological questions.
NCPTT advances the application of science and technology to historic preservation. Working in the fields of archeology, architecture, landscape architecture and materials conservation, the center accomplishes its mission through training, education, research, technology transfer and partnerships. Partners in government, private practice, tribes, museums, universities and non-profits are important collaborators in nearly all the center has accomplished. |
