ABSTRACT
Thin-section petrography (TSP) was developed for geological study and has, since the 1970s, been applied to archaeological material to "characterize and interpret many inorganic materials used in the production of cultural objects or structures". Petrographic fabric is a recipe that details how the ingredients are assembled to produce a paste that is then used to make a pot. In the spring of 2017, it was both participant and observer of an intensive short course on ceramic thin-section petrography taught by Prof. Q, the purpose of which was to teach students how to "characterize and classify down the microscope". The quantitative data that Prof. Q was referring to is provided by point counting or line counting, which yield similar sorts of data. The petrographical process begins with the preparation of thin-section slides. The analyzer lever on the microscope allows one to move between plane polarized light and cross polar light to look at different aspects of the slides.
