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Week 5

Race and bioarchaeology: what else can we do with human remains?

Sexual dimorphism in Egyptian crania On the Archaeology of Portus course this week we’ve been looking at the People of Portus. Analysing human remains is an extremely delicate process, both practically and ethically. Archaeologists take any activities associated with human remains very seriously. It wasn’t surprising that Andrew Dufton’s post about the Archaeology’s Dirty Little Secrets courseĀ also included reference to these ethical issues. Continue reading →

Who were the people who made the amphorae for Portus? The evidence from manufacturing techniques

Fig. 1 Handle of a Tripolitana 2 amphora showing finger indentations An understanding of the manufacturing techniques and of the production sequence in terms of how pots are made provides us with an insight into the people making the ceramics. The clay, the raw material, is a plastic additive medium, allowing for traces of its manipulation by the potters, to be left in the finished ceramic product. Fashioning methods, or manufacturing techniques, used in creating a vessel are usually detectable. Continue reading →