Lowland Maya pottery. The place of petrological analysis / Керамика равнинных майя. Место проведения петрологического анализа

European pottery studies frequently include petrological analysis as an assumed, routine part of any serious ceramic study. However, despite the legacy of Anna Shepard's formative work in Mesoamerican ceramic studies technological analyses are virtually absent from recent reports. Mayan pottery studies have tended to concentrate on surface features and the supposed significance of these factors in relation to the broader aspects of Mesoamerican culture and history. Routine technological analysis of the pottery is a rarity rather than the norm. With this in mind I have tried to present the results of my own research in such a way as to combine the deliberately detailed, factual data with a practical guide to temper identification - and a critical exposure of examples of the pitfalls involved in casual and half-hearted attempts at such. <...>