Ceramic Surface Treatment and Abrasion Resistance: An Experimental Study

This study explores experimentally the relationship between pottery surface treatments (texture, slip/polish, resin, smooth, and smudge) and abrasion resistance. The surface treatments were applied to low-fired ceramic spheres and then abrasion resistance was measured by weight loss as the specimens...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of archaeological science 1997-04, Vol.24 (4), p.311-317
Main Authors: Skibo, James M., Butts, Tamara C., Schiffer, Michael Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABRASION
CERAMIC USE-ALTERATION
Ceramics
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Methodology and general studies
POTTERY
Prehistory and protohistory
SURFACE TREATMENTS
Typology, technology and attribute analysis
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Summary:This study explores experimentally the relationship between pottery surface treatments (texture, slip/polish, resin, smooth, and smudge) and abrasion resistance. The surface treatments were applied to low-fired ceramic spheres and then abrasion resistance was measured by weight loss as the specimens were abraded in lapidary tumblers. In terms of total weight loss, slip/polished and textured spheres had the poorest abrasion resistance overall whereas smudged and resin-coated surface treatments provided the best. These results have implications for pottery performance in use, use–wear analysis, and the environmental degradation of pottery. Of particular note is that a resin coating, which is the best surface treatment in terms of abrasion resistance as well as several other performance characteristics, is often applied to pots investigated ethnographically, but it rarely observed on prehistoric ceramics because of biodegradation.
ISSN:0305-4403
1095-9238
DOI:10.1006/jasc.1996.0115