Subsequently
their photomicrographs were processed through digital image
analyses. A scanning electron microscope was used to compare the
nature of some mineral inclusions. This procedure has allowed for
the testing of several hypothetical sherd-to-vessel associations
with important consequences for understanding how these ceramics
entered the archaeological record. This new method suggests
that there is much to learn from these often disregarded
stages of the life-cycle of archaeological ceramics, which have
been referred to as their ‘life after the break’ (Chapman and
Gaydarska, 2007: 81e112).