I spent 3 days trying to match a broken pottery rim to the right sherd in the lab

It took me 72 hours of staring at tiny curvature differences before I realized I was looking at two separate vessels from the same workshop, which is a common issue with mass-produced Roman coarseware, has anyone else had a find that looked like a perfect match but was actually a different piece?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith7412mo ago

Yeah that's a classic coarseware trap, happens to everyone. @josephb35 it's not really about lighting, the fabric and finish can be identical across a whole batch from the same kiln. I've had rim pieces that fit together perfectly by curve but the wall thickness was off by like a millimeter, totally different pots.

josephb352mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a skill issue lol. With enough practice you can spot those workshop marks a mile off, even on mass produced stuff. Maybe you just need better lighting in the lab or something.

riley5951mo ago

Actually, some batches are just that consistent, it's wild.