Our system for the establishment of the primary functional types is based on whether the vessel is an open or closed form and whether or not it can be held in one hand, two hands or cannot be held at all (e.g. large storage vessels). Access to the contents of the vessel through the opening (almost always at the rim) depends on the rim diameter determining whether the contents can only be poured out, scooped out or both. Based on these criteria eight primary functional types have been set up.
For a short video clip about the function of ceramics in burials at Mozan, see VC27 Pottery as Text.
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