The article discusses the possibilities and effectiveness of applying modern methods of natural sciences to study ancient ceramics as a source of historical information in different research approaches. From the authors ' point of view, the historical and cultural approach is the most promising in this regard today. Successful application of such methods is possible only in the case of close creative contact between specialists in the field of ancient ceramics and scientists of a natural science profile. Keywords: ancient pottery, ceramics, natural-scientific methods of analysis, approaches and methods of studying ceramics, experiment, ethnography of pottery. Introduction Today, the view that archaeology is a science that is located at the intersection of humanities and natural sciences is becoming more and more widespread. It belongs to humanitarian knowledge, since its main task is to study the history of human society, and to natural science-because the object of research is the remains of the ancient material culture of mankind-settlements and burial grounds, sanctuaries and temples, irrigation systems, etc. But the most popular material is ancient things. Among them, starting from the Neolithic era, which covers the period of human history within the Old World from about the XIII to IV millennium BC, the richest source of historical information is ceramics. Whole vessels reach us quite rarely, and usually we have to deal with their fragments, which are found in huge quantities during excavations of ancient settlements and burial grounds. Ancient pottery is one of the most important historical sources for a number of reasons. First, pottery was used in almost every family, so it is most closely connected with the daily life of people. Secondly, clay vessels, being fragile, were often broken during use. According to ethnographic evidence, an ordinary clay pot lasted no more than one to three years, and large vessels for storing food - a little longer (Arnold, 198 ... Read more