Our first meeting is a talk by our President David Dawson entitled “What’s in a sherd: Unlocking the secrets of pottery.

Have you found pieces of pottery in your garden and wondered about their origin? Because pottery does not degrade, generations of archaeologists have looked to pottery as a source of dating evidence. Usually that pottery survives as fragments and specialists have relied on an external examination of the fabric and the shape of the pot sherd to deduce its origin, function and probable date. Now modern technology developed at the Camborne School of Mines is revealing the mineral structure of each fragment and casting new light on what pottery can tell us about the past. Examples of pottery from the Mendip area of Somerset have been used in this pioneering technology. Early results have challenged established assumptions about past economies.

David Dawson is a leading figure in these developments. In his talk he will outline these technologies and explain how they have enhanced our ability to interpret the stories that they tell us. He will be looking at how modern technology can help unravel the secrets that lie hidden in a piece of pottery