The study of ceramics, their movement and their changes over time is one of the most significant and fruitful areas of historical archaeology. Nonetheless, a gap in the research is evident from the limited number of projects embracing archaeometrical methodologies. This volume, consisting of several of the papers given at GlobalPottery – 1st International Congress on Historical Archaeology and Archaeometry for Societies in Contact (2012) and further invited contributions, provides a wealth of research and data to help fill this gap. The conference focussed on ceramics of the Early Modern Period, taking a truly global perspective, with sessions on Europe, the Americas, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

 

Each paper provides detailed scientific analyses of ceramic evidence, contextualised into historical and social narratives. These papers shed light on the effect societies have on one another when they come into contact, a particularly stimulating topic for a period which saw the European colonisation of the Americas and the first circumnavigations of the world. Throughout the volume, scientific and stylistic analyses are combined to aid our understanding of the transmission of ideas and methods of ceramic technology in this period of increasing connectivity across vast distances.

 

English and Spanish language papers include detailed illustrations and maps along with tabular data and graphs. Owing to its highly interdisciplinary nature, this volume is of interest to those studying a wide range of topics including archaeometry, ceramics, Early Modern archaeology and geographical connectivity.