Dissertation Research: Ceramic Use in an Agrarian Society: Ethnoarchaeology among the Gamo of Southwestern Ethiopia

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Under the direction of Dr. Steven Brandt, Mr. John Arthur will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct extended ethnographic fieldwork among the Gamo people in Southwestern Ethiopia and supplement this with library research in Addis Ababa. The goal of this work is to study ceramic use among these traditional agriculturists and extract information which will be of archaeological value. Given the widespread penetration of western markets, there are very few places in the world today where groups still produce pottery on a local level by traditional techniques and rely on the products. The Gamo are interesting because they span an altitudinal gradient and the crops they grow are divided into several complexes which are segregated by height above sea level. Thus, within the context of a single `culture` significant clearly patterned variation in behavior can be observed. Mr. Arthur will focus on ceramic production, use and discard and to accomplish his goal he will conduct extensive research in three villages. He will collect basic demographic and social data and within this context carry out detailed observation on vessel context and use-alteration changes. He will observe daily ceramic use such as cooking practices. He will also conduct laboratory analyses on a sample of used ceramic vessels and abraders to gain insight into the structural nature of these materials and the alterations they undergo through repeated use. Because pottery was widely used by prehistoric people in many parts of the world and because it is well and abundantly preserved in archaeological sites, it has provided a focus for scientific investigation. Archaeologists often recover large numbers of broken potsherds in their excavations and they attempt, through analysis, to reconstruct numerous aspects of the makers' and users' lifestyles. To do this effectively, it is important to understand how ceramics reflect human behavior and what analytic techniques can most effectively elucidate this relationship. It is extremely useful to examine these interactions in societies which still produce pottery by traditional methods and Mr. Arthur has located an ideal situation to do this. This research is important for several reasons. It will help develop analytic techniques of potential use in many archaeological situations. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.