Pottery identification is a valuable aid to dating of archaeological sites. Pottery is usually the most common find and potsherds are more stable than organic materials and metals.
Pottery Resource Links
Medieval Pottery Research Group
MPRG was founded in 1975 to bring together people with an interest in the pottery vessels that were made, traded, and used in Europe between the end of the Roman period and the 16th century.
Its remit has subsequently expanded to included the pottery of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, as well as post-Roman ceramic building materials.
Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group
The PCRG was formed in November 1988 to promote regular contacts between those with interests in prehistoric ceramics, combining the membership of the Iron Age Pottery Research Group, which had been operating in eastern England since 1976, and the First Millennium BC Ceramic Research Group covering central southern England since 1985.
In 1994, the scope of the group was widened to include ceramics from the Neolithic and Earlier Bronze Age periods.
The Study Group for Roman Pottery
The Study Group for Roman Pottery (SGRP) was formed in 1971 to further the study of pottery of the Roman period in Britain. The group is a registered charity (no. 1185560) that provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest research, and of issues affecting the subject and its practitioners.
The annual conference and regional meetings promote contact between specialists and the opportunity to handle pottery from different regions. The Group currently has over 170 members, from all over the British Isles, Europe and further afield.
National Roman Fabric Reference Collection
The original project was initiated by English Heritage and was conducted as a collaboration between English Heritage (now Historic England), the Museum of London Specialist Services (now Museum of London Archaeology) and the British Museum.
Potshard: Atlas Of Roman Pottery
This is a collection of pages on pottery and ceramics in archaeology, principally of the Roman period (1st cent. BC - 5th cent. AD) in Britain and western Europe.
The pages include an introductory Atlas of Roman Pottery, containing descriptions and distribution maps of types of Roman pottery (particularly types found in Britain).
Gallo-Belgic Pottery Database
The following website presents the digital results of the Gallo-Belgic pottery project undertaken by between 2003 and 2006. The project has been funded by a Leverhulme Research grant administered through the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford University under the auspices of Barry Cunliffe.
One of the principal aims of the project has been to compile a corpus of Gallo-Belgic pottery (terra nigra and terra rubra) found in Britain. An essential part of this work has been to create a digital record of all known potter name stamps and marks.
Bronze Age Beaker Folk
These web pages are devoted to the pottery of Bill Crumbleholme, which is largely inspired by the Bronze Age Beaker Folk and other prehistoric pottery styles.