Abstract:The work of archaeologists is generally based on the classification of archaeological artefacts. Amongst all observable intrinsic descriptors (material, decoration, fabrication mode/chaine operatoire, etc.)
IntroductionFor my doctoral research, I have chosen to study several aspects of Hrazany -one of the most important archaeological sites in Central Europe. The site was occupied between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC by the Celts, who built an oppidum -fortified structure -which is considered to be the political, economic and religious centre of the territory. The huge amount of archaeological artefacts unearthed by L. Jansová during several excavation campaigns (1951)(1952)(1953)(1954)(1955)(1956)(1957)(1958)(1959)(1960)(1961)(1962)(1963) gave rise to three monographs and several other articles concerning various related topics (e. g. Horáková-Jansová 1952; Jansová 1959 Jansová , 19601986;1988;. Nevertheless, Second Iron Age research has largely developed since that time and new questions and approaches as well as new methods of responding to them have appeared.The excavations by L. Jansová have brought to light a huge quantity of artefacts. Nevertheless, the comprehension of more complex phenomena (exchanges, strategies of production organization) associated with Celtic society cannot be studied from a corpus collected at only a single site. For these reasons, the corpus studied was augmented by objects from other zones in Central Europe (Central Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia), as well as from other European regions (Burgundy and the oppida of Manching in Germany and Bibracte in France). The particular focus of the present project will be laid on the study of ceramics.The choice of ceramics is quite evident: it is the most abundant material found by archaeological excavations -it is almost omnipresent. As ceramics first emerged in Prehistory, they bear not only information about chronology, technical and stylistic evolution, but also information about human relations. Contrary to precious artefacts intended for elites, ceramics are used and touched by all social strata. They reflect not only the cultural entities to whom they belong but also more intimate features -their personal preferences. By quantifying their intrinsic characteristics (form, decoration, technology of fabrication) and by observation of their spatial distribution, we, as archaeologists, are capable of modelling the socio-economic dynamics of ancient populations (Orton et al. 1992).Despite their informative qualities, ceramics suffer from strong post-depositional degradation caused by climate, soil acidity, etc. We are estimating that almost 95 % of all ceramic objects have disappeared over time and, from that highly-reduced quantity, only 10 to 20 % of fragments possess information about the original form. At the same time, traditional typological techniques used for the treatment of residual information suffer from recurrent problems: they are subjective, often ambiguous and take too long to