Pottery forms one of the most common and abundant types of artifacts found at archaeological sites.
As such, pottery provides important information about chronology, technology, trade, and art. Although most handbooks illustrate whole or nearly complete vessels, the vast majority of ceramic remains from any excavation consists of thousands of small, broken pieces which need to be cleaned, sorted, counted, weighed, and analyzed. Early Neolithic deep hemispherical bowls with burnished surface. Early Neolithic painted ware with patterns in red or red-brown. 045. Middle Neolithic pottery.