Scope note

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This class comprises types of groupings of specific ceramic forms that can be are declared by appropriate experts in order to categorise individual objects, fragmented or not. An instance of U10 Shape is declared based on the morphological characteristics (curvature, thickness, position and type of decoration) of an ideal object deduced either from many typical real world objects or reconstructed from knowledge of vessel parts when intact exemplars do not exist or are insufficient to ground the positing of an instance of U10 Shape.  Shape groupings are often arranged hierarchically, for example grouping ‘one-handled cups’ and ‘large cups’ can be declared under 'cups', or 'cups' and 'bowls' under open vessels. Different shapes are more or less readily identified. For example, in some cases simple wall fragments can be assigned the shape ‘dolium’ based on their thickness, while in other cases rim or base fragments of a very specific shape can potentially belong to different shapes (e.g., a jug or jar, cup or bowl). The substance of an instance of U10 Shape is a conceptual classification created for scientific analysis. 

An instance of Shape comes into being upon its declaration and continues to exist thereafter even if disproven or superseded, so long as it remains an object of discourse in scientific literature.

 

Language

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