Compressive Testing of Ceramics: A Southwestern Example

Recent research has begun to evaluate the utility of selected analytical approaches from the discipline of materials science in the characterization of ceramics for the archaeological study of social and economic change. Characterization describes those features of composition and structure of a material that are important for the preparation of a product, the study of its properties, or its ultimate use. Comparative analyses of compressive strength values of samples of St. Johns Polychrome and Alameda Plain are presented and the ramifications of such characterization for archaeology are discussed.