Dr. Robert Mason’s. Trade, technology and industry of elite ceramics of the Islamic world

Dr. Robert Mason’s
Dr Robert Mason’s particular area of specialisation is the material culture and archaeology of the Middle East and Europe during the Islamic and Mediaeval periods (roughly 500 CE to the present), especially ceramics and vitreous materials. Mason received his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1994, and is cross-appointed between the Royal Ontario Museum and the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Department at the University of Toronto, where he is an Associate Professor.
Trade, technology and industry of elite ceramics of the Islamic world
Pottery generally tends to be the most important artefact to study for archaeologists, because it is so prolific. But the ceramics of the Islamic world are important for other reasons also. They represent high technology, with the Islamic world creating a synthesis of technology in a dynamic time for research and science. They are significant art, with their elite status making it worth providing them with original and innovative expression. They were also a significant industry, with major production centres that had global distributions. This talk will outline the significance of the pottery of the Islamic world and its significance in the world at large.