Temper Identification: “Technological Sherd-Splitting” or an Unanswered Challenge

Abstract

Two recent publications offer stimulating generalizations about pottery analysis. Weaver (1963) considers how archaeologists can secure assistance in pottery analysis. Fontana and others (1962) question the cultural significance of temper. Advice in both studies is based on pottery from a simple level of technological development. A broader view of contemporary potters' techniques shows that paste composition may or may not have cultural significance. Simple rules of analysis are misleading because of the complexity of pottery and the varied role it has played in culture.