ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on ceramic artifacts as they are assessed and classified in a historical archaeology setting. It examines data collected through participant observation of an archaeological excavation of the Rudolph Christ pottery kiln, which was in operation in Salem, North Carolina, from 1811 to 1829. Field procedure for the excavation entailed keeping a 'unit record' that could then be cross-referenced with a 'stratum and level record', with multiple places to record information about the unit, strata, layers, field samples, features, and artifacts. Without belaboring the point, it is worth taking a moment to talk about historic ceramics and the kinds of characteristics and attributes that are relevant to their classification. Historic ceramics also normally involve glazes and a decent amount of decoration. Earthenware pieces make up the majority of what would be found in the Salem sites. Old Salem is a "living history museum", which is a restoration of a colonial Moravian settlement.
