Preliminary Analysis of Ceramic Styles in Fier, Lankan, and Daffo, Southern Jos Plateau, Central Nigeria

Abstract

Ceramic motifs, forms, and paste attributes of domestic pottery offer insights into regional historical dynamics, especially if the chronostratigraphic contexts of the ceramics can be established through excavations, radiocarbon dates, and historical traditions. This study examines recently excavated ceramic assemblages from the southern Jos Plateau, the first archaeological study of ceramic assemblages from this region. This paper focuses on the ninth/tenth, through twelfth/thirteenth, and nineteenth/twentieth centuries ceramic rim forms, decorative motifs, and clay properties from Fier, Lankan, and Daffo communities. The study sheds light on the similarities and differences in styles and functions regionally and across time. It also explores the roles that the production, distribution, and consumption of domestic pottery played in the process of regional networks and intergroup relations over a thousand and five hundred years in the southern Jos Plateau. Finally, this study provides a valuable framework for future archaeological research in the region by setting a foundation for standardized ceramic classification.