Nomenclature of Ceramics
The types of ceramics have first been divided by art style, such as Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Khmer etc, and then subdivided using the most appropriate of the following categories:
1. Administrative Area. This is the most suitable way to designate a group of ceramics because in so doing we indicate where the ceramics were manufactured. However, the name of a province or region which covers a large area is not employed unless there was only one ancient manufacturing site in the province and unless it produced only one type of ceramics.
2. Period. Grouping by period is suitable in cases where only one or two manufacturing sites or specific kiln sites have been found. This way of grouping gives the basic data as to how old the ceramics are; for example, Dvaravati pottery or Srivijaya pottery. Nevertheless, problems may sometime arise, as in the case of using the term Sangkhalok ware rather than Sukhothai Period ware. Archaeological evidence has determined that Sangkhalok ware were produced first in the Sukhothai Period and continued to be manufactured when the Sukhothai kingdom was annexed by Ayutthaya, it is thus preferable to call them Sangkhalok ware.
3. Distinctive Characteristics of the Ceramics. Some kinds of ceramics have distinctive features in glaze or design. Ceramics, for example, which can be grouped according to this category, are Qingbai ware, which are characterized by a bluish-white glaze, and Bencharong ware, which are generally characterized by the use of five colors.
4. Specific Area of Production. Buddhist monasteries or ancient cities may give their name to types of pottery: for example, Wiang Ka Long ware for those from the kiln site near the ancient city of Wiang Ka Long.
It is obvious that a method of naming ancient ceramics using merely one category is not adequate. Therefore, it is considered that the above categories provide the most satisfactory method of nomenclature.
