Abstract
Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) and Raman spectroscopy, we investigate red pigment applied to ceramic vessels as a slip or film (pigment + liquid + binder mixture) in the midcontinental United States. We find that during the CE 1000–1200 period, potters at Cahokia and nearby sites in the American Bottom region of the Middle Mississippi Valley used pigments originating from hydrothermal deposits. The closest hydrothermal deposits are located over 50 km away in the Ozark Highlands and the pigments may have been collected from areas already exploited for other resources. Approaching slips or films as pigment + liquid + binder mixtures integrates ceramic raw materials research with pigment research and encourages us to consider a variety of pigment options, some of which require binders for use on ceramics.
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