Pottery In Archaeology

The past does not come to us in a readily contoured form but has to be reconstructed from, the varieties of the evidence left behind by it. The remains of the human past have to be recognized, Categorized, investigated and assessed to interrogate and draw conclusions about it. The disciplines of history and archaeology are the central to this endeavor.

Archaeology is the science in which we study the past culture through the material remains in the context of time and space that is left behind by the people. These materials may be either small artefact, such as micro-blade, or large buildings, such as pyramids. Anything that people created, modified or used can be part of the archaeological record.

The term ‘Archaeology’ is derived from the

6). Pottery is regarded as the most visible sign of the presence of old settlement in an area. Pottery is found profoundly in archaeological sites from the Neolithic period throughout the world and its various functions, its transportability, and its infinitive forms and decorations make pottery a very complex tool for defining stylistic changes through time and for tracing cultural relations. Archaeologists use pottery to decode how various areas within the archaeological site was used. For example, one would expect to find high density of pottery in a food preparation or cooking area, but would not expect to find large number of it in sleeping

Pottery enables us to reconstruct both types of dates – relative and absolute. Relative dating methods are based on the typology of ceramics such as types, shapes, size, decoration and design, for instance; Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) presents a strong base for pre-NBP cultural sequences of northern India. On the basis, this ware can be used to determine the cultural sequences of the later period of NBP. According to Mortimer Wheeler, “NBP is as special in Indian sites as in Europe ‘Terra sigillata’ has in the coastal area of Mediterranean