ТРИ ПРИМЕРА ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ГЕОМЕТРИЧЕСКОЙ МОРФОМЕТРИИ ДЛЯ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ФОРМ ГЛИНЯНЫХ СОСУДОВ (К ВОПРОСУ О ВОЗМОЖНОСТЯХ И ОГРАНИЧЕНИЯХ МЕТОДА)

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The geometrical morphometry represents a modern method of statistical analysis of objects’ morphology. The article is dedicated to discussion of opportunities and limitations of geometrical morphometry methods for study of earthenware shapes. The article deals with three examples of geometrical morphometry use for analysis of vessel shapes study in solving research problems of various complexity. Every of these examples differs in amount of known source data on objects of study. In the first example results of analysis of two types of early Byzantine amphorae forms are considered. By dint of geometrical morphometry it became possible to establish legitimacy of these types detachment and to explain that the principal differences between these types consist in the general proportionality of vessels. In the second example 252 shapes of vessels from the Balanovo burial ground of the Bronze Age are analyzed. An attempt is undertaken to detach peculiarities of shapes specific to two culturally different groups of population that left the burial ground. We succeeded in solving the task with the aid of geometrical morphometry in about a half of cases. In the third example an attempt is made to determine earthenware produced by different potters. For that purpose 30 vessels made by 6 professional potters of high skills and 15 vessels made by three potters who had no stable skills of earthenware production were used. In result of geometrical morphometry method application several conditional arrays of vessels have been detached. As it happens, vessels that have virtually nothing in common in their morphology, technology of production and skill level of potters who made the vessels allotted these arrays. Data considered allow making the conclusion that the biggest efficiency of geometrical morphometry application is achieved in search of peculiarities built in general proportionality of earthenware shapes. But an inefficiency of geometrical morphometry method is marked in solution of more complicated tasks related to analysis of detailed peculiarities of vessel outlines. The results obtained put in question possibilities to consider the geometrical morphometry as a sound method of archeological vessel shapes study.