A Statistical vs. a Sensory Approach: Sasanian Ceramic Studies in the Light of Ceramics of the Merv Oasis

In Ceramics of the Merv Oasis: Recycling the City, Gabriele Puschnigg1 employs part of the data set recovered during the International Merv Project (IMP) excavations undertaken at the ancient “Silk-Road” city of Merv in southern Turkmenistan (between 1992 and 2000) as a test case for an advanced processing methodology aimed at defining the principal attributes of the Mid-Late Sasanian ceramic assemblage. As such, Puschnigg’s work has relevance that extends beyond the study of Sasanian ceramics or the isolated Merv oasis. The author was a key member of the team responsible for processing large quantities of ceramics recovered during each season of the excavation and has since become Assistant Director of continued investigations at the site, begun in 2001 as the Ancient Merv Project: a collaboration between University College London, and the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan.