Description of the Chaînes Opératoires

Identification of the different pottery chaines operatoires cannot be identified without prior knowledge of the techniques, namely, the main forces at work in the deformation of clay materials. In this aim, this chapter proposes to describe and classify ceramic techniques according to the physical principles governing the properties of clay materials and finished products. The properties of clay materials are analyzed in view of the qualities of the paste sought after by the potter, i.e., durable containers with good resistance to physical shocks. These analytical methods are innovative, given that physicochemical criteria are generally used to address mostly the question of provenances. Manufacturing techniques are also ordered using original classification directly inspired by the researches and terminology forged by lithic analysts. This terminology has largely proven its worth for the analysis of archaeological material in terms of the forces applied, successive sequences, tools, and gestures. From this viewpoint, this classification does not result in a simple catalogue of techniques but organizes them according to the forces involved. The understanding of these forces is essential for analyzing how pastes are deformed during the course of recipient manufacturing and how the diagnostic traits of the techniques are formed.