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What will an archeologist say when they dig up your shards? | August 22, 2011


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Guest JBaymore

"Question of the Week"

Summer is a good time to laugh, share, and to interact in a fun, creative way on our Potters Council forum. We will be posting a "Question of the Week" every Monday for you to answer, give an opinion, and maybe laugh a little. The questions will range from the serious to the not so serious. We are ready to have some fun and hope you will join us.

 

We are all looking forward to see what everyone has to say. Don't be shy to share your answer. We want this to be positive, fun experience and encourage all to respond in a like manner. Put your thinking caps on for this question:

 

Question of the Week:

 

"What will an archeologist say when they dig up your shards?"

 

 

When replying to the question be sure to hit the reply button below and outside of the message. If not, it quotes all the previous message making the post much longer and difficult to read.

 

Lots of people are looking forward to reading all the responses........... have at it!

 

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Lisa and Chris-

Not so, archeologists are ecstatic when they find pottery. It is the art historians, art critics and the collectors we have to watch out for!

They can make or break us even in death.

 

As for my work, I have thrown out pots across the land, across the desert and across the sea. The archeologists will discuss the dates that appear on the ware and the location in which they were found. They will ponder the similarities with found vessels unearthed in other cities. They will confer and come to a general consensus that it is work by the same potter, even though the signature is different the manipulation and use of the materials is similar.

 

 

 

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Here's what I'm hoping they'll say:

 

"Hmmm. People were still making pottery by hand in the 21st century, long after the world was industrialized. Rather than doing it out of necessity, it looks like they redefined it as an art form and a traditional craft skill. Good for them!"

 

Mea

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Hmmm, looking for something witty here. I got nothin'. So, on a more analytical note, I'd guess the archeologist might see the incised lines on my work that

look like mountains and conclude that mountains had a powerful influence on the potter. The archeologist would be correct.

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At one time I wanted to be an archaeologist. When I found pottery at digs, I always wonder at the techique and glazes. I think in the future these question will always be asked even when they find my broken shards from my discards.

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When my shards are discovered by an archeologist/or Art Historian I hope they comment on the depth of the depth of the glaze colors and the textures that are still and forever on the surface...reflecting the mountains, oceans, rocks, plants. This makes a potter's work timeless and so connected to the universe. (oh, yes, and my beautiful PRIVATE COLLECTION) will also be well cared for, in one piece somewhere else!post-6495-1314125151571_thumb.jpg

post-6495-1314125151571_thumb.jpg

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I was a student-member of a group pottery for several years, and we joked about archaeologists finding our discards. They surely would think they had found a village site-or a small town.

Since then I have wondered about the deductions made by archaeologists. As for my pots, I would hope they would deduce that they were much used and an integral part of every day life.

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Hmm, didn't know there was a Korean settlement this far West!

 

 

"Question of the Week"

Summer is a good time to laugh, share, and to interact in a fun, creative way on our Potters Council forum. We will be posting a "Question of the Week" every Monday for you to answer, give an opinion, and maybe laugh a little. The questions will range from the serious to the not so serious. We are ready to have some fun and hope you will join us.

 

We are all looking forward to see what everyone has to say. Don't be shy to share your answer. We want this to be positive, fun experience and encourage all to respond in a like manner. Put your thinking caps on for this question:

 

Question of the Week:

 

"What will an archeologist say when they dig up your shards?"

 

 

When replying to the question be sure to hit the reply button below and outside of the message. If not, it quotes all the previous message making the post much longer and difficult to read.

 

Lots of people are looking forward to reading all the responses........... have at it!

 

 

 

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I wish I could hit "like" or comment LOL for so many of the posts above that just cracked me up! Suffice it to say that I know exactly what y'all are talking about ;-) I love this question, because we used to talk about this often when I actually had an archeologist as one of my pottery students. She used to fascinate us with her descriptions of digs she had done in Mexico and other parts of the world. I am also very interested to hear about the connection of Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico with an archeologist who wanted her to replicate some pottery shards that they had uncovered and pieced together. Would an archeologist want to replicate any of my discarded pots? I should hope not! Many pieces have glaze imperfections that would remind them of the moon or some other planet (perhaps exciting to an astronomer, LOL). Yes, I love glazes with textures, but these are NOT like those glazes :-) Other pieces would have been thrown so badly that they might use them to speculate how children were able to pass on such traditions. They may speculate that I was a florist who left so much weight in the bottoms to help counterbalance the the tall flower arrangements. I think I shall have to think about my discarding method, fire a slab of clay with an arrow pointing toward my studio that says "The good stuff is that way! This stuff just makes for good drainage! Please disregard..." and put it on top of the heap of "jewels."

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Hey everyone,

 

I would hope they would say good things. But if they found any pieces still in tack I would see it going something like this... "hey mike come check this out.... It looks like some kind of ancient vase or something. (mike) Oh wow that looks great I'd like to take that home and give it to Linda it would look great next to our robot closet."

 

The circle of life

 

Anthony

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

The pots that I take a hammer to are collected in a box then carried to our lake house to fill in holes along the seawall. Several summers ago my grandson was digging around near the wall when suddenly he yelled " Grandaddy look, I just found some Caddo Indian pottery." I really hated to tell him that was my discard pottery.

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"Question of the Week"

Summer is a good time to laugh, share, and to interact in a fun, creative way on our Potters Council forum. We will be posting a "Question of the Week" every Monday for you to answer, give an opinion, and maybe laugh a little. The questions will range from the serious to the not so serious. We are ready to have some fun and hope you will join us.

 

We are all looking forward to see what everyone has to say. Don't be shy to share your answer. We want this to be positive, fun experience and encourage all to respond in a like manner. Put your thinking caps on for this question:

 

Question of the Week:

 

"What will an archeologist say when they dig up your shards?"

 

 

When replying to the question be sure to hit the reply button below and outside of the message. If not, it quotes all the previous message making the post much longer and difficult to read.

 

Lots of people are looking forward to reading all the responses........... have at it!

 

 

 

What the H... was he thinking! Throw it back. . . it doesn't fit the era!

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  • 1 year later...

My first throwing class we could only keep three small pieces, we were told to think about our work lasting forever and what we would want archaeologist to find and think. Since taste and styles change I would want them to think that there was no heavy ugly junk that it was all well made. Denice

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Hey everyone,

 

I would hope they would say good things. But if they found any pieces still in tack I would see it going something like this... "hey mike come check this out.... It looks like some kind of ancient vase or something. (mike) Oh wow that looks great I'd like to take that home and give it to Linda it would look great next to our robot closet."

 

The circle of life

 

Anthony

 

I thought your robot closet was funny and then it occurred to me that I ready have one where I hang my Roomba and charge it. Denice

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