Bowl--any vessel whose opening diameter is 50% or more of its maximum diameter.
Diameters of bowls: Depths of bowls:
Very Small--less than 10 cm. Shallow--less than 20% of diameter
Small--10 to 14.9 cm. Intermediate--between 20% and 74.9% of diameter
Medium--15 to 24.9 cm. Deep--between 75% and 100% of diameter
Large--25 to 75 cm. Very Deep--greater than 100% of diameter
Very Large--greater than 75 cm. (APOT 34-35, 37)
Bulla/e--lump(s) of clay used to seal a document and to verify its origin. The lump of
wet clay was pressed over the knot in a string which tied a document; onto the wet clay a seal or
signet was pressed to leave the mirror image of the seal/signet. The impressions often identify
the sender of the document, often include representations of animals, flying scarabs, etc.
Burnish--Smoothing of surface of a vessel during the drying process, often
by means of a hard tool such as a bone, pebble, shell, etc. This process of "closing the
pores" of a vessel is done just before firing.
Carinated--a profile formed from the joining of three truncated cones.
Combing--pattern of regularly spaced, fine lines incised into the vessel surface.
Conical--a profile formed from a truncated cone. See conical vessel.
Cross-wiping--Wet-smoothing of the pre-fired clay of a vessel with a rough cloth,
producing a "basket-weave" effect in the clay.
Cylindrical--a profile formed from a cylinder or tube. See cylindrical vessel.
Glacis--ramp of soil, often faced with a layer of stone, built at a steep angle against
the exterior face of a curtain wall. Its purpose was to add to the depth of a defensive system. The
glacis protected against sappers and made approach to the fortifications difficult.
Globular--a profile formed from a truncated oval or truncated sphere.
Incising--Decoration (other than combing) incised in the surface of a vessel.
Inverted--refers to the inclination toward the inside of a vessel of any part of
the vessel. E.g., an inverted rim refers to a rim bent or inclined toward the inside of
the vessel on which the rim appears.
Jar--any vessel whose opening is less than 50% of its maximum diameter.
Jars are distinguished from jugs by virtue of the latter's lip and rim structure. APOT 45-46)
Jug--distinguished (from jars, to which classification they belong) by the
presence of lip/rim structure (APOT 46), i.e., an adaptation of the lip/rim for pouring.
Most often these vessels are smaller than jars, one-handled, with handle attached at lip
or neck and at shoulder; the neck is always narrower than the shoulder.
Knife-paring--Shaving of excess clay from the vessel with a knife prior to firing.
Krater--name (from the Greek) for a "large (diameter), intermediate-to-deep bowl
generally with a rounded biconical (S-curved) wall profile and a flat base" (APOT 313); originally
referred to a bowl used for mixing wine and water. The name is also commonly applied to large
open, four-handled bowls of the Iron Age.
Molding--Relief designs applied through molding to the vessel surface (as often
on mold-made pottery.)
Munsell--standardized color notation system. A "Munsell reading" of a color, whether
the color of a ceramic vessel exterior or the color of a soil sample, will refer
numerically to three qualities of color: hue, value and chroma. So a reading of 10YR3/4 refers to
a hue of 10YR ("yellow red"), a value of 3 (a range of lightness/darkness), and a chroma of 4
(saturation or brightness.)
Paint--application of a slip to which pigmentation has been added; often applied
in patterns or designs.
Pillared building--also called "four-room house." This term refers to a style of
constructing domestic buildings in which usually two rows of 3 or 4 pillars each (whether
solid stone pillars or pillars which consist of stacked stone "drums") were used to
support a roof and/or a second story. Often the house so constructed consisted of four
rooms on the ground floor, the rows of pillars serving as dividers of the ground space.
Piriform--a profile that is "pear-shaped." See piriform example.
Rim--The section of a vessel neck or body immediately below the lip.
Rivets--"conical clay knobs attached below the rim on Iron II period
vessels" (APOT 319.) A type of applique.
Rouletting--A stamped design rolled with a patterned wheel onto the leather-hard
clay of a vessel prior to firing.
Section(s)--drawing(s) of profile or cross-section of soil. The drawing/section is
interpretive and intends to show the vertical relationships among layers of soil and architectural
features. The section represents an important recording technique.
Slip--Application of thin paste solution applied to the surface of a vessel
before final firing.
Stamping--Impressing with a patterned stamp of the leather-hard clay of a vessel prior to firing.
Three-handled jar with spout--jar with three handles, the position of the fourth
handle occupied by a cup-like spout. Jar usually has an ovoid shape with rounded shoulder and
ring base. Rim is usually "T-shaped" or "hammerhead" in shape. Loop handles and spout attached
at rim.
Wall profile--refers to the cross section of a vessel body. Wall profile may be:
