Beyond the Imported Wares: Scientific Insights into Local Ceramic Production at Pattanam, Kerala

Hari Sankar B1*, V. Selvakumar1, K. Krishnan2, V. N. Prabhakar3, Sachin Joshi4, Manjari Sharma3, Supriyo Das5, P. J. Cherian6, K. P. Shajan7, Sarath Chandrababu7, Rajesh S. V.8, and Abhayan G. S.8

This study examines locally produced ceramics from Pattanam, a coastal port town on the west coast of Kerala that played an important role in Indian Ocean trade networks, especially during the Early Historic period. While earlier research has focused mainly on non-local pottery, locally made wares, particularly Red Ware, Black and Red Ware, and Black Ware, have received limited attention. These everyday ceramics provide valuable insights into the technological knowledge, economic activities, and cultural practices of the communities that inhabited Pattanam. The study aims to classify these local ceramic wares and investigate the production methods involved, including raw material selection, shaping techniques, surface finishing, and firing practices. Ceramic samples dating from the Early Historic period to modern times from the excavated context, along with ethnographic and experimental samples, are analysed using archaeometric methods such as thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). These scientific approaches help identify clay sources and temper materials and allow a better understanding of technological choices made by potters over time. By integrating typological observations and functional categories with scientific analyses, the study contributes to a broader understanding of ceramic technology, local resource use, and socio-economic organisation at Pattanam. It also highlights the significance of local ceramic production within regional exchange systems and the wider Indian Ocean trade network.