Portable Digital Microscope: Atlas of Ceramic Pastes - Components, Texture and Technology

This manual is the first of its sort describing the use of the new portable digital microscope for analysis of archaeological ceramics in the field or in the laboratory. It is presented like a geological atlas with a description of the most common minerals and lithic fragments found in ancient ceramic pastes to help archaeologists identify what they see under the microscope. Identification of manufacture and technological features are also addressed. An analysis protocol is proposed, along with suggestions for granulometric and digital image analyses to help with the constitution of groups of similar composition and paste texture. The manual is abundantly illustrated with color pictures of archaeological and ethnographic ceramic pastes as well as raw materials. It is a reference book for all involved in the analysis of archaeological ceramics and a major tool to help study, classify and choose the best fragments for archaeometric analysis.

Isabelle C. Druc is specialized in ceramic studies, Andean archaeology, and ethnoarchaeological research. She did her Ph.D. in Archaeology at the University of Montreal (Quebec, Canada), after finishing her initial studies in Switzerland. She has conducted post-doctoral studies at Yale University in the United States, and has been a visiting scholar at different institutions, among which the CNRS and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. She is now at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been involved in many archaeological, ethnoarchaeological and ethnographic projects  in South America, the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, has published many articles and books related to ceramic studies, and has produced some 200 film documentaries and video interviews related to ceramics, traditional handicrafts, culture and language.