Step‑by‑Step Guide to Identifying Roman Pottery Shards During Field Excavations

A fresh shard in the trench can change the story of a whole site. That tiny piece of broken clay might tell us who lived here, what they ate, and even how they traded. In a season where funding is tight and every day in the field counts, knowing how to spot a Roman pot quickly can save weeks of work and keep the story moving forward.

Why Pottery Matters

Pottery is the “paper” of the ancient world. Unlike stone or metal, clay objects break easily, so they are left behind in large numbers. Each piece carries clues about the time period, the workshop that made it, and the daily life of the people who used it. For Roman sites, a single shard can confirm a military presence, a civilian market, or a religious ceremony. That is why we treat every fragment with the same respect we would give a written document.

First Look: Spotting the Shard

When you first see a piece on the ground, pause before you pick it up. Look at its color, texture, and shape. Roman pottery often has a reddish‑orange slip (the thin coating on the surface) that turns a darker brown after firing. The surface may be smooth, or it may have a fine, sand‑like grit called “tempering” that was mixed into the clay to prevent cracking. If the shard feels warm to the touch after a sunny day, that can be a hint that it was buried shallowly and may belong to a later Roman phase.

Step 1 – Clean and Record

Gently brush away soil with a soft paintbrush. Do not use water unless the shard is very dirty; water can dissolve salts that later help us date the piece.
Take a photo from above and from the side. Include a scale bar—usually a ruler or a coin of known size.
Label the bag with trench number, square, depth, and a quick note on the shard’s appearance. I still keep a small notebook in my pocket for these quick notes; it feels like a secret diary of the ground.

Step 2 – Look at the Fabric

The “fabric” is the make‑up of the clay itself. Hold the shard up to the light and note:

Color – Red, brown, gray, or black. Red usually means an oxidizing firing environment, common in Roman kitchens.
Inclusions – Tiny pieces of sand, shell, or crushed pottery mixed into the clay. A lot of shell suggests a coastal workshop.
Porosity – How many tiny holes you see. More holes often mean a lower firing temperature, which can point to a specific time period.

If you see a fine, almost glittery surface, you may be looking at a high‑quality “terra sigillata” – a glossy red ware that was mass‑produced for export across the empire.

Step 3 – Check the Form and Rim

Roman pots come in many shapes: amphorae for wine, bowls for stew, lamps for light. Even a small rim fragment can reveal the whole vessel type.

Rim shape – A straight rim with a small lip often belongs to a cooking pot. A flared rim with a thick band may be a serving bowl.
Base – A flat base suggests a domestic setting; a pointed base indicates a storage jar that was meant to be set in a stand.
Handles – Look for holes where handles were attached. The style of the handle (loop, lug, or strap) can narrow down the date by a few centuries.

I once found a tiny rim with a “knob” handle in a trench near Pompeii. At first I thought it was a modern souvenir, but the clay’s fabric told a different story. It turned out to be a rare “casseruola” used by wealthy families for sauces. That find helped us locate a nearby kitchen area that we had missed.

Step 4 – Compare with Known Types

Bring a field guide or a printed catalog of Roman pottery types. Many sites use the “Vasa Romana” system, which groups shards by shape and decoration. Look for:

Stamp marks – Some Roman pots have stamps of the potter’s name or the workshop. These are usually impressed into the wet clay before firing.
Decoration – Painted scenes, incised lines, or stamped patterns. A simple red slip with a thin black line may be a “Samian” ware, while a thick black glaze could be “African Red Slip” from North Africa.

If you have a smartphone, a quick photo search can sometimes match the pattern to a known type, but always double‑check with a printed reference. The internet is handy, but field guides are still the gold standard.

Step 5 – Take a Sample for Lab

When the shard looks promising, cut a tiny piece (no larger than a grain of rice) for petrographic analysis. This lab work tells us the mineral composition of the clay, which can pinpoint the geographic source of the raw material. It also helps confirm whether the piece is truly Roman or a later imitation.

Make sure to label the sample clearly and note the exact location it came from. I keep a small zip‑lock bag with a pre‑printed label in my pocket; it saves time and avoids mix‑ups later.

Putting It All Together

After you have recorded the visual details, taken photos, and collected a sample, you can start to place the shard in the larger story of the site. Does it fit the time frame you expected? Does it suggest a trade link you hadn’t considered? Often a single piece will raise more questions than answers, and that is the excitement of fieldwork.

Remember, the goal is not just to label a shard as “Roman” but to understand what that label means for the people who lived there. Each fragment is a voice from the past, and our job is to listen carefully, record faithfully, and share the story with the world.