Table 3 Summary of the characteristics of primary and composite forming techniques, identified using SANS measurements in the tangential plane, based on experimental and archaeological results.

From: Novel application of SANS provides quantitative non-destructive identification of forming techniques in late Roman and early medieval pottery from Pannonia

Primary forming technique

Tilting angle

Isotropy

Coil-building (CB)

0° to ± 15°

 < 0.95

Drawing*

50° to 90°, or – 50° to – 90°

 < 0.95

Percussion-building (PB)

 

 ≥ 0.95

Wheel-throwing (WT)

Clockwise rotation: 20° to 50°

 < 0.95

 

Anticlockwise rotation: – 20° to – 50°

 < 0.95

Composite wheel-techniques

e.g. Coil-wheeling (CW), percussion-wheeling (PW)*

Same as primary forming technique, but often with additional macroscopic surface traces indicating wheel-use

  1. *Drawing and percussion-wheeling were not investigated experimentally, but the characteristic features are those expected based on previous discussion in the literature and results seen from archaeological samples.
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