A method to assess inter- and intra-vessel shape variation in pottery using outline-based geometric morphometrics

Abstract

Important aspects of craft organisation, such as standardisation and artisanal skill, are encoded into the final shape of ceramic vessels. Here, the authors present a quantitative method for assessing inter-/intra-vessel morphological variation using metrics and geometric morphometrics obtained from 3D models and open-source software. Within the wider framework presented, novel analyses that assess rotational symmetry and intra-vessel variation by virtual slicing have the potential to reveal idiosyncratic motor habits of individual potters within communities of practice. Application of this approach is demonstrated through a comparison of vessels from three pre-Hispanic Colombian ware traditions, revealing meaningful patterns in vessel variability.