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Beginner's Guide to Historic Ceramic Identification When faced with an unidentified sherd, there are three primary attributes which can help lead to identification: paste, surface treatment/glaze and decoration. Paste consists of the clay or a mix of clay and any inclusions (temper) that have been used in forming the body of the ceramic. It is best to identify paste and surface treatment/glaze first, before tackling decoration. The layered clickable menu below will ask you to choose paste first, and then lead you deeper into surface treatment/glaze and finally into decoration/specific types. Decoration is particularly important in identifying and dating post-colonial refined earthenware. We have also prepared an organization chart of ceramics and their characteristics as a visual aid. Click here to see chart. Also available is a visual guide of historic ceramics created by Joe Bagley, City Archaeologist of Boston. This poster is ideal for printing and using in the lab or field as a quick visual reference. Also, please remember that the production of ceramics has been a process with much experimentation with paste and glaze compositions and firing temperatures through time. The characteristics listed below are generalizations that may not hold true for every sherd.
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