style, etc. Its decorations, such as patterns, colors of patterns, slipped (glazing) or unslipped decoration Evidence of type of use. The Six fabrics of Kalibangan is a good example of fabric analysis. Clay bodies and raw materials Body, or clay body, is the material used to form pottery. Thus a potter might prepare, or order from a supplier, such an amount of earthenware body, stoneware body or porcelain body. The compositions of clay bodies varies considerably, and include both prepared and 'as dug'; the former being by far the dominant type for studio and industry. The properties also vary considerably, and include plasticity and mechncial strength before firing; the firing temperature needed to mature them; properties after firing, such as permeability, mechanical strength and colour. There can be regional variations in the properties of raw materials used for pottery, and these can lead to wares that are unique in character to a locality. The main ingredient of the body is clay. Some different types used for pottery include: Kaolin, is sometimes referred to as china clay because it was first used in China. Ball clay: An extremely plastic, fine grained sedimentary clay, which may contain some organic matter. Fire clay: A clay having a slightly lower percentage of fluxes than kaolin, but usually quite plastic. It is highly heat resistant form of clay which can be combined with other clays to increase the firing temperature and may be used as an ingredient to make stoneware type bodies. Stoneware clay: Suitable for creating stoneware. Has many of the characteristics between fire clay and ball clay, having finer grain, like ball clay but is more heat resistant like fire clays. Common red clay and shale clay have vegetable and ferric oxide impurities which make them useful for bricks, but are generally unsatisfactory for pottery except under special conditions of a particular deposit. Bentonite: An extremely plastic clay which can be added in small quantities to short clay to increase the plasticity. It is common for clays and other raw materials to be mixed to produce clay bodies suited to specific purposes. Various mineral processing techniques are often utilised before mixing the raw materials, with comminution being effectively universal for non-clay materials. Examples of non-clay materials include: Feldspar, act as fluxes which lower the vitrification temperature of bodies. Quartz, an important role is to attenuate drying shrinkage. Nepheline syenite, an alternative to feldspar.