Museum Glossary Home The Library Here you will find an annotated reading list and a glossary of terms used in this site that will help you further understand and enjoy Anasazi pottery.
Reading ListBlinman, Eric, and Clint Swink. "Technology and Organization of Anasazi Trench Kilns, in The Prehistory and History of Ceramic Kilns. American Ceramics Society, Westerville, Ohio, 1997.
A very thoughtful presentation focusing not on the techniques of firing trench kilns but how firings may have been conducted and their effect on Anasazi lives.
Lister, Robert H., and Florence C. Lister. Anasazi Pottery, Ten Centuries of Prehistoric Ceramic Art in the Four Corners Country of the Southwestern United States. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1987.
An excellent collection of photographs and descriptions of Earl Morris' pottery collection which was mostly Northern San Juan Anasazi. Long thought of as the "bible" for replication this book is a trememdous resource however, care must be exercised because some of the vessels which Morris had "restored" were restored incorrectly.
Roberts, David. 1996 In Search of the Old Ones. Simon and Schuster, New York.
A thought provoking account of Roberts "canyoneering" exploits throughout the Four Corners. For those of you who wondered what happened to his National Geographic coverage of my 1994 trench kiln firing in Mesa Verde National Park; here it is.
Rohn, Arthur H. 1970 Mug House, Mesa Verde National Park-Colorado (Wetherill Mesa Excavations). National Park Service Archaeological Research Series, 7-D, Washington, D. C., 1971.
The best photo reference to date for late Mesa Verde ceramics. The 1960-1961 excavations of this large ruin recovered 439 restorable vessels. This is a great resource for both Mesa Verde corrugated and McElmo-Mesa Verde Black-on-white wares. Unfortunately no sizes or scale of pottery is given.
Shepard, Anna O. Ceramics for the Archaeologist. Carnegie Institute of Washington, Publication 609, Washington, D. C., 1965. (Reprinted in 1980).
A great study of the technical aspects of ceramics as they pertain to archaeology but very useful to potters as well. It may be too technical for some but I have found it to be a valuable companion in my search for answers.
Swink, Clint, Messages from the High Desert. Get it!
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