As a student of archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem during the 1970s and '80s, I spent much of my time in underground storage facilities and basements processing, documenting, and dating huge quantities of pottery sherds. Even on the most basic analytical level, it's an extremely time-consuming, but necessary, component in the preparation for publication of final excavation reports. At the time I often asked myself, after investing so much effort and resources in the classification of these pottery assemblages, what can ancient ceramics reveal beyond typological, stylistic, and chronological considerations regarding the peoples and societies that produced, exchanged, and used these vessels? While working on pottery assemblages for my master's thesis and doctoral dissertation during the 1980s, the publication of several groundbreaking volumes that explored more comprehensive and holistic approaches to ancient ceramics transformed my research (see, e.g., Rye 1981; van der Leeuw and Pritchard 1984; Rice 1987). They reviewed the current state of ceramic studies and explored innovative directions in pottery analysis. These included the results of innovative scientific studies of ancient pottery with the goal of examining the life-cycles of ceramics, including production, distribution use, and discard; ethnoarchaeological studies of traditional pottery manufacture and function; the application of computer-based statistical analyses; and the development of new models and theories to investigate these artifacts. Especially promising were technological studies of the physical properties of ceramics, formation processes, and modes of production, considered from a variety of perspectives. These approaches transformed our understanding of the cultures and behavior of the societies and individuals who produced, exchanged, and used these objects.Though a myriad of specialized ceramic studies has been published in recent decades, only lately has a new generation of pottery handbooks and comprehensive monographs appeared that crosses chronological, geographical, and disciplinary boundaries. I dedicate this review article of five recent books on pottery analysis to Nava Panitz-Cohen, a friend and colleague with an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient pottery from the Levant. Her influential publications are essential to any study of Bronze and Iron Age assemblages of this region (see, e.g., Panitz-Cohen 2001, 2004a, 2004b, 2006, 2009a, 2009b, 2010, 2011, 2015). In what follows, I review these publications with an emphasis on their contribution to the study of ancient ceramic technology, which is a theme of this special issue honoring Nava and her work (Fig. 1).Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook, Second Edition, an updated and revised version of P. M. Rice's 1987 landmark reference work on pottery analysis, does not disappoint. As Rice (2015: xxiv–xxv) points out in her preface to the second edition, there has been an explosion of ceramic studies, rendering the attempt at an all-encompassing updated synthesis next to impossible, especially in a single-authored monograph. Although the total number of pages is nearly identical and covers most of the same themes as the first edition, the content of the updated version underwent significant revisions and reorganization (e.g., six major parts and 26 chapters, versus five and 15, respectively, in the 1987 publication). This rearrangement of the relevant topics creates a more coherent ceramic sourcebook, and the incorporation of more recent studies, trends, and methods of analyses better reflects the state of pottery analysis in the twenty-first century. Each of the six major sections begins with a helpful introduction, not present in the first edition. In addition, the shorter chapters include more subheadings and text boxes, creating a more user-friendly and easily navigable volume.As an archaeologist working in the Western Hemisphere, Rice focuses her revised sections on recent developments in New World ceramic analyses and less on new studies in other regions of the world. Several major themes have been significantly updated in the 2015 publication. This includes the integration of new research on the origins of pottery explored in Part 1, especially its use among hunting-gathering-foraging-collecting, non-agricultural communities. Rice suggests that pottery should not be understood as a sudden invention associated with the Neolithic Revolution but appeared earlier (pp. 6–13). Part 2 summarizes the composition of raw materials, including clays, plasticity, non-clay constituents, drying and shrinkage, effects of heat on clay and glazes, to better understand how their physical properties influence the manufacture and function of the object. Parts 3 through 5 (which replace Parts 3 and 4 of the original edition) are most relevant for those interested in pottery technology: Part 3 presents an ethnographic perspective, analyzing the impact of human behavior on how potters utilize these raw materials to create the desired pottery vessels or objects. Topics covered include manufacture, surface enhancement, distribution, and consumers, largely following the format and content of Part 3, Chapters 5 and 6 in Rice's 1987 edition. Part 4, titled “Methods and Measures: Analyzing Archaeological Pottery,” presents the most effective material-science approaches. It is a significant restructuring and update of the 1987 edition's Part 4, which dealt with a large variety of characterization studies. Some descriptions of these analyses are expanded upon while others are treated with caution, receive less attention in the new edition, or are deleted altogether. Chapter 12 opens with an overview of methods and theories, followed by chapters addressing classification (13), characterization (14), quantification and sampling (15), color (16), mineral and chemical composition (17), physical and mechanical properties (18), and thermal behavior (19). Part 5 explores what Rice considers “integrative interdisciplinary approaches that are now commonplace in the study of pottery” (p. 335). As a proponent of processual and behavioral approaches to understanding the past, she advocates for scientific methods grounded in archaeometry, experimental archaeology, and ethnoarchaeology to address research questions related to location of production (Chapter 20), organization of production (21), products being produced (22), archaeothermometry (23), style and social interaction (24), and function and form (25). Less attention is given to more recent theoretical studies, and to what has been referred to as the “social life of pots,” which encompass approaches included in the term “anthropology of technology” (e.g., chaîne opératoire [see below review of Roux 2019]), practice theory and materiality (Stark 2006; Knappett 2014; see also Appadurai 1986 regarding the “social life of things”). Part 6, “Then and Now; Now and Then,” concludes with observations on the repercussions of international economic integration and globalization on traditional potters and ceramic production. This second edition of Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook represents a substantial revamping and updating of Rice's 1987 classic tome. For those interested in pottery technology, it will continue to serve as a major sourcebook and reference work, or “Bible of ancient ceramics,” for advanced students and specialists alike for many years to come.The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis edited by A. M. W. Hunt is one of the more recent additions to the Oxford University Press handbook series. The aim of this stellar series is to offer “thorough introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship, creating an original conception of the field and setting the agenda for new research. Handbook articles review the key issues and cutting-edge debates, as well as providing arguments for how those debates might evolve” (http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/page/about). A glance at the table of contents and this handbook's abstract define the actual aims and topics addressed here. Instead of a comprehensive survey of the current state of archaeological ceramic studies that one might expect considering the title of this handbook, most chapters focus on analytical techniques (mainly archaeometric and scientific approaches) employed in archaeological ceramic analysis, organized by research topics. Hunt's handbook has a distinctly European approach to the topic, with most of the contributors trained and/or based in Europe. In contrast, Rice's sourcebook reflects more the North American traditions of pottery analysis.Hunt's book is divided into seven parts. These include an introduction (Part I: two chapters); “Research Design and Data Analysis” (Part II: four chapters); “Foundational Concepts” (Part III: eight chapters); “Provenance” (Part IV: 11 chapters); “Manufacture” (Part V: six chapters); “Function” (Part VI: three chapters); and “Date” (Part VII: two chapters), with Parts IV–VII addressing what Hunt considers to be key anthropological questions in ceramic research today. The introduction entails a short overview of the book and its goals by Hunt, accompanied by a comprehensive and very helpful table of analytical methods discussed in this handbook (p. 5), and a concise and informative survey of the history of ancient ceramic scientific research by M. S. Tite. The latter chapter showcases mainly the work of British and American scientists and laboratories and sets the stage for the archaeometric approach that dominates this volume.Part II, devoted to the design of ceramic research projects and the evaluation of data, is one of the more innovative topics not often included in handbooks on ancient ceramics. J. B. i Garrigós and M. M. i Fernández (Chapter 3) advocate for a rigorous research design that integrates science and anthropology, advances the discipline and addresses specific questions, such as their case study of terra sigillata pottery in Spain. R. Hazenfratz-Marks (Chapter 4) considers how to deal with expressions of uncertainty, such as post-depositional issues and sampling variance, in archaeometric analyses and how to compensate for them. G. Bishop (Chapter 5) assesses the strengths and weaknesses of various types of ceramic data and discusses how to compare different datasets and statistical models used to analyze them. M. T. Boulanger (Chapter 6) explores the importance of data recycling from earlier studies and the preservation of these data-sets for the future.“Foundational Concepts” (Part III) are approaches that reflect “the best practices for the definition, description and illustration of archaeological ceramics” (p. 3). Topics include sourcing raw materials, formation techniques, modes of production, post-dispositional transformations, and morphological studies. G. Montana (Chapter 7) defines the mineralogical and chemical characteristics and physical properties of ceramic raw materials and methods for determining their composition. V. Roux (Chapter 8) provides an overview of the chaîne-opératoire approach, which analyzes the techniques used, step by step, in the production of ceramic objects based on the premise that these operational sequences are specific to a given society and reveal the social context in which the technique originated (see also review of Roux 2019 below). K. Duistermaat (Chapter 9) proposes a relational approach to the organization of pottery production that combines a range of relevant analytical methods and network analyses, viewing pottery as a result of cultural entanglements between human and non-human agents. Y. Waksman and M. Picon (Chapter 10) discuss the use of INAA analysis in provenance studies to address topics such as context and type of production, sampling, and compositional groups using medieval ceramics from Beirut as a case study. Chapter 11 by G. Schneider explores the use of x-ray diffraction to document how deposition and other factors such as water and calcium impact the chemical composition of pottery. Chapters 12–14 all deal with best practices for the description and illustration of ancient ceramics: These include chapters on formal analysis and typological classification (Chapter 12, D. A. Santacreu, M. C. Trias and J. G. Rosselló); fabric description of archaeological ceramics (Chapter 13, I. K. Whitbread); and analytical artifact drawing that combines hand-drawn profiles of pottery sections and photography (Chapter 14, P. Shirvalkar).The remaining 22 chapters of Parts IV, V, VI, and VII comprise the major component of this handbook. They present the best practices of the most recent applications of archaeometric techniques useful for the reconstruction of the life cycles of ancient ceramics. These chapters illustrate the importance of the combination of well-formulated research questions combined with the most suitable analytical methods. Most discuss a specific technique of analysis, its theoretical background, cost, and preparation of the samples as well as the addition of case studies illustrating the effectiveness of each method. Throughout, the importance of collaboration between archaeologists and scientists/specialists is emphasized.Part IV evaluates specific scientific approaches that address the fundamental anthropological question of ceramic provenance. Topics covered in the 11 chapters include standard and/or well-established techniques, such as petrography (Chapter 15, D. Braekmans and P. Degryse); electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) (Chapter 17, C. Ionescu and V. Hoeck); x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) (Chapter 19, R. B. Heimann); x-ray fluorescence-energy dispersive (ED-XRF) and wavelength dispersive (WD-XRF) spectrometry (Chapter 20, M. E. Hall); portable energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) (Chapter 21, E. Holmqvist); and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) (Chapter 24, L. D. Minc and J. H. Sterba). Increasingly, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), which measures trace elements of ceramic surface treatments, paste composition, temper composition, and post-burial chemical alteration (Chapter 23, M. Golitko and L. Dussubieux), is replacing INAA as the preferred method, not the least due to the necessity of access to a nuclear reactor for the latter analysis. Newer, experimental, or more exotic analyses treated in this section are ceramic micropalaeontology (Chapter 16, I. P. Wilkinson, P. S. Quinn, M. Williams, J. Taylor, and I. K. Whitbread); isotope analysis (Chapter 18, B. A. Wiegand), particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE) (Chapter 22, M. A. Rizzutto and M. H. Tabacniks), and synchrotron radiation (Chapter 25, A. F. Greene).Part V tackles the question of ceramic manufacture. With the exception of Chapter 26 (K. D. Fowler), which reviews the contribution of ethnography to our understanding of pottery production and the interaction of environment, technology, and potting traditions, the scientific techniques presented in this section focus on the analysis of clay matrices to reconstruct ceramic provenance and its manufacture. Additional chapters address experimental firing and refiring (Chapter 27, M. Daszkiewicz and L. Maritan); fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) (Chapter 28, S. Shoval); Raman spectroscopy (Chapter 29, J. van Pevenage and P. Vandenabeele); x-radiography (Chapter 30, I. Berg and J. Ambers); and organic inclusions (Chapter 31, M. M. Lippi and P. Pallecchi).The final two parts, VI and VII, briefly address the questions of vessel function (VI) and dating (VII). Three chapters examine vessel function. A. L. Martínez-Carrillo and J. A. Barceló (Chapter 32) recommend a morphometric approach to ceramic typology utilizing computation and mathematical models that they employed in the analysis of Iberian pottery. Other techniques include measuring mechanical and thermal properties (Chapter 33, N. S. Müller) and organic residue analysis (Chapter 34, H. Barnard and J. W. Eerkens). In the final part, E. Bortolini (Chapter 35) describes the use of classification and typology to establish the chronological range of pottery types. Chapter 36 (“Direct Dating Methods,” S. Blain and C. Hall) looks at the potential of luminescent dating (e.g., TL and OSL) and rehydroxylation (RHX) as tools for establishing absolute dates for ceramics.With the exception of a handful of chapters that contextualize ancient pottery in its larger social setting, this handbook is a state-of-the-art compendium and discussion of scientific techniques and approaches to the analysis of archaeological ceramic assemblages. Lacking is the inclusion of several major trends in ceramic research, most notably stylistic analyses and recent theoretical approaches to understanding ancient pottery and the societies that produced these assemblages. In its focus on specialized scientific analyses and approaches to ancient ceramics, this is not a handbook for beginners, or a broad audience. Many of the contributions assume the reader has a background in archaeological ceramics and, as such, would be challenging to an undergraduate or those not involved with pottery analysis. This could have been alleviated by the addition of introductory chapters to Parts II–VII, which would have linked the disparate topics in each section and serve as a guide for the readers, resulting in a more user-friendly handbook. Intentionally or not, this volume's readership is limited, geared to the professional archaeologist, archaeological ceramicist, or graduate student specializing in ancient pottery. A more specific title indicating its strong archaeometric focus would have better reflected the contents and purpose of this publication.Notwithstanding these critical remarks, Hunt's volume is unique among handbooks on archaeological ceramics and represents an important contribution to this field. The authors are to be thanked and commended for their participation in this major reference work. For ceramicists interested in exploring ancient technology, The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis will doubtlessly serve as the go-to resource, especially when deciding which analytical techniques are best suited to address our individual research questions.Ceramics in Archaeology: From Prehistoric to Medieval Times in Europe and the Mediterranean—Ancient Craftsmanship and Modern Laboratory Techniques by N. Cuomo di Caprio is the result of over forty years of experience in ceramic studies including the author's ethnographic research work on the traditional potters in the region of classical Magna Graecia (southern Italy and Sicily; Cuomo di Caprio 1982) and her publication of Morgantina's (Sicily) late Hellenistic kilns (Cuomo di Caprio 1992). The first edition of Cuomo di Caprio's manual on ceramics in archaeology, La ceramica in archeologia: antiche tecniche di lavorazione e moderni metodi d'indagine, was published in 1985. Derived from a series of lectures delivered at the Cà Foscari University, Venice, it was served as a student textbook dealing mainly with the techniques of pottery making and spanning the prehistoric to medieval times, with a focus on the classical world (p. 22). The 2007 revised second edition, Ceramica in archeologia 2: antiche tecniche di lavorazione e moderni metodi di indagine, updated the contribution of modern analytical methods used to reconstruct ancient ceramic production.The 2017 English edition of Cuomo di Caprio's manual is far more than a translation of the Italian versions. This two-volume publication is significantly revised and enlarged. The text is richly illustrated, with dozens of inserts, text-boxes, and tables that provide additional detail and information. Volume 1, Ancient Craftsmanship, traces the production of ceramics beginning with a discussion of clay and its properties, to working the clay, the formation of vessels, surface treatments and decorations before firing, and the firing process. This step-by-step definition and explanation of pottery production includes general descriptions along with relevant ancient classical and medieval texts as well as images and specific examples (e.g., fresco paintings from Pompeii, molding of relief-decorated sigillata, and wheel-throwing and drying of a Greek kylix). There are no footnotes or references in this first volume. Rather, the first section of Volume II includes a “pocket library” with extensive annotated readings and bibliographic references organized according to the 13 chapters in Volume I.Following the “pocket library,” Part 2 in Volume II describes and discusses modern laboratory techniques that are relevant to characterization and provenance studies. It is organized into seven chapters: Chapter 14 is an introduction to archaeological ceramics in the laboratory; Chapters 15–18 deal with characterization studies and techniques, divided into four general categories: optical microscopy for mineral characterization (six techniques), thermal (two techniques), physicochemical (13 techniques), and characterization (three techniques). Chapter 19 discusses data handling and statistical processing. Cuomo di Caprio's way of selecting the techniques to be included in her manual is interesting and effective. First, she determines the questions asked most frequently by archaeologists and those scientific techniques that are most applicable, presented in Chapter 14.1 and Table 21. Second, she identifies which archaeometric analyses were used most frequently between 2001 and 2010, summarized in Chapter 14.2 and Table 22. This identification is based on a survey, outlined in Chapter 20, of published articles in Archaeometry and the Journal of Archaeological Science. A list of these research articles appears at the end of Part 2, followed by a glossary of scientific instrumentation, an appendix of literary sources from classical to Renaissance times, and an index.These two volumes discuss and illustrate the nuts and bolts of pottery production. Not included are topics relating to stylistic considerations, modes and sociology of pottery manufacture, and theoretical approaches such as agency, materiality, or entanglement theories. As a basic manual and reference work for easy use and accessibility, the volumes serve a broad audience admirably, including the interested public and students as well as archaeologists and ceramicists. I would recommend this publication as the starting point for beginners and undergraduate students interested in understanding the basics of pottery manufacture and an accessible explanation of the range of scientific analyses that can assist archaeologists in reconstructing the technologies/techniques used by ancient potters,The final two monographs reviewed here are noteworthy for their focus on and promotion of specific methodologies and theoretical approaches in the study of ceramic technology, the theme of this review article. Materiality, Techniques and Society in Pottery Production: The Technological Study of Archaeological Ceramics through Paste Analysis by D. Albero Santacreu and published by de Gruyter Open is the only book reviewed here that may be downloaded for free (open access) as an eBook in PDF or EPUB format, or purchased as a hardcover book. As the subtitle indicates, Albero Santacreu explores pottery production through a technological study of ceramic paste and fabric analysis. Though I did not find a definition of paste in his book, it can be defined generally as the clay, or a mixture of clays, (matrix) and temper (inclusions) that form ceramic objects. His aim is to provide an overview of the main methods that can be harnessed in the analysis of pottery technology, here a study of ceramic paste, and to serve as a starting point from where scholars can develop their own research questions and interests. Archaeometric analyses form a central component of this book, but they are viewed through the lens of social theory. As Albero Santacreu (p. 2) aptly states, “these techniques provide relevant information concerning the ceramic technology of past societies that eventually permits us to approach the way these societies conceptualized, produced, used, managed and deposited their pottery.” He conceives of moving from the tangible (physical objects and their properties) to the intangible (abstract) social concerns associated with each assemblage. This emphasis on interpretative and theoretical approaches is an additional feature that differentiates this book from the previous three volumes reviewed above.His book is divided into three main sections, “Materiality, Archaeometry & Analytical Methods” (Part I), “Materials, Techniques & Chaînes Opératoires” (Part II), and “The Social Context: Ceramic Technology, Archaeometry & Theoretical Trends” (Part III). Part I opens with a discussion of considerations to be taken into account in the planning of sampling strategies for the analysis of ceramic paste and techniques (chemical, textural, mineralogical, or petrological) best suited for answering specific questions. Part II considers the relationship between the selection of specific materials, techniques, technical choices, and chaînes opératoires, with the aim of understanding the society and individual responsible for an object's manufacture. It examines the selection, procurement, and extraction of clays, the properties of the ceramic paste and its preparation, forming methods and drying techniques, surface treatments and firing. An entire chapter is devoted to the role of ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology in ancient pottery studies. The third, and final, part addresses the social context of ceramic technology and production. Topics include a discussion and critique of ceramic ecology, functionalist approaches (e.g., thermal shock, heat effectiveness, impact resistance, cooling effectiveness, etc.), social theory of technology (e.g., habitus and agency, social interaction and transmission of information and knowledge, gender concerns, social and symbolic roles of raw materials, etc.), and the organization, change, and stability in pottery production.This open-access book presents a broad view of a variety of techniques and archaeometric studies that are involved in the analysis of pottery production, with an emphasis on ceramic fabrics. But as Albero Santacreu very effectively illustrates, it is not enough to analyze the tangible properties of ancient pottery. What gives these physical objects meaning are the intangible social context and conditions that were responsible for their manufacture. As is sometimes the case for books published in a language (English) that is not the native tongue of the author, there are a number of awkward phrases, a few unintelligible sentences and some typographical errors that distract the reader. In spite of these technical difficulties, this book is distinctive in its synthetic treatment of pottery technology and efforts to integrate technological and theoretical approaches to our understanding of the ancient potters' craft.Ceramics and Society: A Technological Approach to Archaeological Assemblages is the English translation of V. Roux's (2016) French manual entitled Des céramiques et des hommes: décoder les assemblages archéologiques. This handbook presents the chaîne-opératoire concept, an anthropologically-grounded technological approach to ceramics, as a research strategy to process archaeological assemblages. Developed and applied to ancient ceramics by Roux, this method draws its inspiration from a concept developed over a half century ago by ethnologists while observing “series of operations” used to transform raw materials into a finished product. Roux proposes that the defining characteristics of pottery assemblages should be viewed as resulting from technical traditions and decisions that are inherited and transmitted intergenerationally and, as such, serve as chrono-cultural markers and expressions of social groups. The five chapters of this book address the “how” and “why” of studying ceramic assemblages.Chapter 1 describes the chaîne-opératoire approach, accompanied by a step-by-step description of the properties and stages of pottery making, beginning with the clay materials, fashioning, surface treatments, decors, drying, and firing. Chapter 2 trains the reader to recognize the diagnostic traits observable on pottery. These visual features are based on ethnographic observations and experiments, which are central to the identification of the chaînes opératoires. They include technological interpretations of the pastes, fashioning (formation of the object), and firing. Chapter 3 presents the principles of ceramic classification according to the chaîne-opératoire concept, which is only possible after the mastery of the technological interpretation described in Chapter 2. The following chapter evaluates technical traditions and skills of the potter, which assist in the understanding of social groups, modes of production, and aspects of change or stability in an assemblage. Building on the classification analyses, based on technical traditions as described in Chapters 1–4, the final chapter explores anthropological interpretations of chaînes opératoires, most notably the socio-economic context (e.g., organization of production and distribution of ceramics) and cultural histories (e.g., lineages and evolutionary trajectories). Case studies from Roux's ethnographic work in India and archaeological research in Israel and elsewhere illustrate the principles presented in this volume.As was true for the previously discussed publication by Albero Santacreu, a deep understanding of ceramic technology and techniques of manufacture, specifically technical processes and lineages of practices, forms the focal point of Roux's original approach. The stated goal of this book is to serve as a roadmap and guide for an audience of archaeologists and advanced students, provide the theoretical and methodological framework to analyze the functional and sociological variability of ceramic assemblages, and assist in the cultural and historical analysis of past societies. Roux very successfully achieves this objective, and rightfully places the ancient potters in the spotlight (“pots equal potters”), with the aim of writing a “history of potters.”Roux's monograph, along with the other four books examined in this review article, represents the highest standards in archaeological ceramics research, especially ancient pottery technology. We have come a long way from chronologically-focused typologies, which dominated much of twentieth century ceramic research, to a more profound understanding of the lifecycles of pottery, the potters that produced it, and their societies. These books will inspire, guide, and influence ceramicists, archaeologists, and their students in their analyses of ancient pottery for generations to come.