CLAY: Past and Present
- Marie-Claude Boileau
- Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Material (CAAM), Department of Classical Studies, School of Arts & Sciences
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Curricular Support Grant
CLAY: Past and Present is a new version of a course taught by Marie-Claude Boileau on archaeological ceramics, which aims to connect the study of archaeological ceramics with contemporary ceramic practices.The topics of the course will include the invention of ceramics (about 20,000 years ago), advancements in firing technologies, cross-craft interactions, and the environmental impacts of mass production. Students will examine these topics through the lenses of archaeology, ethnography, and textual sources, and will learn about the different scientific techniques used to answer questions about the people who made, exchanged, and used ceramics. Over the course of the semester, the class will make three field trips to local sites that highlight the area’s long history of ceramic making, including earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, and brickmaking, and help students connect historical practices to modern ones, emphasizing themes of continuity and innovation using locally available clay resources.
https://www.penn.museum/sites/caam/
https://www.classics.upenn.edu/people/marie-claude-boileau