Isthmia 2023: Data, Notebooks, and Sherds

It is probably very little surprise to readers of this blog that our approach to studying Slavic material and contexts at Isthmia in Greece is at the intersection of databases, notebooks and potsherds. As I mentioned on Tuesday, our project has two goals. The first is to produce a larger catalogue of Slavic ware from all across the site of Isthmia and the other is to attempt to discern any reliable assemblages, context, or horizons associated strongly with Slavic pottery.

The former requires that we be able to sort and identify Slavic pottery across the site. This material is either still in Isthmia context boxes or among the inventoried pottery. Started with “data-fied” versions of the inventory cards, finds database, and so on makes it easier to identify and locate these sherds.

When it comes to producing contexts, there’s no way around diving into the Isthmia notebooks and wading through their entries to attempt to figure out which contexts have stratigraphic (or even spatial) integrity. As with most excavations, notebooks vary in quality and character, but so far, we’ve enjoyed some modest success in being able to identify deposits that are significant. This includes a pot on a surface and some material in relatively sealed deposit associated with floor construction.

Finally, we are looking at sherds. And the sherds are wonderful.