On December 10, students in ANTH-487A/887A, “Analysis of Ancient Pottery,” completed a final lab assignment at Reller Prairie Field Station by making a ceramic vessel and then participating in a traditional open wood firing of the vessel.
A level bed of coals was set up, and the vessels were arranged on top of them to slowly heat them, Phil Geib, the faculty member who led the course, said. The group then slowly built up another fire over the vessels to heat them from below and above. Participants used a thermocouple to confirm the vessels reached 1,562 degrees F, which is sufficient for making terracotta pottery. After the fire burned to ash and coals and the vessels had cooled a little, they were removed from the coals to cool more rapidly.
Vessels placed on bed of coals
First fire and warming vessels
Building fire over the vessels
Building the fire
End of firing with some vessels removed
Quartzite in the fire
A few vessels that had not dried sufficiently broke apart while being fired.
“There were some epic failures but also some successes,” Geib said.
Sam Skokan, a student in the course, had two vessels crack.
"The firing was a mix of anxiety and pride,” Skokan said. “I have great souvenirs and I'm happy with the experience."
Some of the clay that students used were samples that they had collected around Lincoln for the first lab assignment in the class.
Reller Prairie Field Station is an experiential learning and research site located southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska that was reopened in 2022. Geib is an associate professor of practice of anthropology within the School of Global Integrative Studies.
Hands-on experiences like this are a key part of the liberal arts education offered by the College of Arts and Sciences.
