Earth Begotten: An Experimental Clay Study

This image depicts undergraduate Claire Villegas molding clay into a rectangular form as part of her training in the archaeology of ceramics in the Human Paleoecology and Biogeochemistry Lab in the Anthropology Department at UCSB. The scene depicts typical potter's tools, bags of commercial and local hand-collected clays, and a sieve for removing larger rocks or grains. The formed briquettes, depicted lower right, were fired at temperatures ranging from 400 to 800 degrees Celsius and then tested for a variety of physical and chemical characteristics, including hardness, porosity, color, and shrinkage. This represents the experimental side of archaeological ceramics, showing how we attempt to recreate ancient pottery. 

List of all that contributed: Emily Kracht, Claire Villegas