Three widely diverse, coarsely tempered pottery assemblages (where temper particles average greater than 0.5 cm) were analyzed using neutron activation. The results of the analyses suggest that this technique has value in characterizing coarse-tempered materials. However, the number of and type of elements needed for analysis varied amoung the different assemblages of pottery and depended on geological as well as archaeological factors. Distinguishing separate groups of North American Artic wares required analytical data from only short lived isotope producing elements. Determination of the probable source of raw material for the Japanese Joman ceramics necessitated analysis of rare-earth elements. Pottery from the Mississpippi Valley could not be analyzed until the effect of the shell temper was isolated. While it appears that neutron acitvation analysis is an acceptable technique for analysis of crude, early ceramics, it is necessary to carefully select appropriate elements for each collection under investigation.