Ceramics are a key indicator for the study of cultural heritage:– A valuable technological indicator because (a) ceramics mark the passage from the simple exploitation to the complex control of fire; (b) they represent the first pyrotechnological product of a certain complexity; and (c) they are able of triggering the development of other technologies such as those involving the processing of metal and glass.– A valuable socio-economic indicator because (a) ceramics are brought into the houses of both poor and wealthy families; (b) they provide evidence of trade routes and cultural exchange; and (c) they are able to pass on significant information about the evolution of aesthetic taste as well as dietary habits through the centuries.– A valuable chronological indicator because (a) their comparative study can provide accurate dating; (b) they can provide absolute dates by thermo-luminescence testing; and (c) they enable the dating of other materials found in stratigraphic association.In this framework, research questions are discussed according to the different steps of a typical research project in progress: from the individuation of the archaeological site or area, to the selection of the ceramic types to be investigated and the samples to be taken for the analyses. It is proposed that research questions should contribute to the reconstruction of a “big picture” covering wide and complex issues such as the circulation of a specific type of goods within large geographic areas and/or the diachronic evolution of production technology. It can be demonstrated that farsighted strategy in research planning can provide material for preliminary articles that satisfy professional obligations to publish periodically while also laying the groundwork for truly important contributions to the field. The distinct fields of provenance, technology, function, use, chronology and conservation are briefly reviewed in order to provide an introductory framework to the following contributions of this Topical Collection. As for research design, the aim here is to reaffirm the importance of typology and contextualization as the basis for all studies undertaken. Finally, it is demonstrated that true multidisciplinary collaboration, rather than working in silos according to different specializations, provides the best approach to obtaining accurate and meaningful results.

中文翻译：

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陶瓷调查：研究问题和抽样标准

陶瓷是研究文化遗产的关键指标：–一项有价值的技术指标，因为（a）陶瓷标志着从简单的开采到复杂的火势控制；（b）它们是具有一定复杂性的第一个热技术产品；–一个有价值的社会经济指标，因为（a）陶瓷被带入贫穷和富裕家庭的房屋中；并且（c）它们能够触发其他技术的发展，例如涉及金属和玻璃加工的技术。（b）提供贸易路线和文化交流的证据；–几个世纪以来，它们能够传递有关审美趣味的演变以及饮食习惯的重要信息。–一个有价值的时间顺序指标，因为（a）他们的比较研究可以提供准确的日期；（b）他们可以通过热发光测试提供绝对日期；在这个框架下，根据正在进行的典型研究项目的不同步骤讨论研究问题：从考古现场或地区的个体化到选择要研究的陶瓷类型和要进行分析的样品。提出研究问题应有助于重建涵盖广泛而复杂问题的“全局”，例如在大地理区域内特定类型商品的流通和/或生产技术的历时演变。可以证明，研究计划中的远见卓识的战略可以为满足专业义务定期出版的初步文章提供材料，同时也为对该领域做出真正重要的贡献奠定基础。简要回顾了物产，技术，功能，用途，年代和保护等不同领域，以便为本专题收藏的以下贡献提供一个入门框架。至于研究设计，此处的目的是重申类型学和情境化作为所有进行的研究的基础的重要性。最后，证明了真正的多学科协作，而不是根据不同的专业而孤岛工作，提供了获得准确和有意义结果的最佳方法。