Polychrome Pottery Research Articles

Shaman Pots, Sympathetic Magic, and Spinning Souls among the Medio Period Casas Grandes: Altered States of Consciousness in Other-than-Human Persons

Medio Period (AD 1200 to 1450) Casas Grandes shamans used tobacco and possibly other entheogens to initiate trance states that allowed their spirits to travel across the cosmos. These trance experiences involved a sense of vertigo and soul flight that is cross-culturally common and occurs with tobacco-based nicotine intoxication. The Medio Period shamans also relied on and interacted with other-than-human persons during their travels, including macaw- and serpent-linked deities, as well as animated objects designed to participate in their shamanic journeys. The animated objects included Playas Red and Chihuahuan Polychrome pottery effigies of humans, macaws, and snakes with shamanic themes that represented the spirit world. I propose these pots were animate “pot-people” created for shamanic rituals. They were created with unusual designs including painted images and incised patterns that emphasized the spinning/vertigo that was central to the shamans’ soul flight experience. In some cases, the pots were literally spun, as evidenced by the distinctive wear patterns on their bases. The shamanic designs on the pots that reflected the upper and lower worlds, the depiction of spinning in the pottery decorations, and the literal spinning of some pots reflected the sympathetic and mimetic magic that linked them to the spirit world. They were imbued with the liminal nature of the creatures they depicted, and the symbolic and occasional literal emphasis on spinning would allow them to enter into a shamanic trance in a manner similar to their human counterparts. They, thus, were designed to enter into ASC in a manner that paralleled their human counterparts.

Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon BC 500/300 - AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre

In Amazonian archaeological discussion the concept of tradition presupposes a keen connection between pottery styles and specific language groups. Multicultural traditions or transcultural adaptions are often pushed aside. Denise Schaan returned to the concept of horizon in order to explain a number of archaeological phenomena from a wide geographical and chronological perspective. Also in this study the concept of Polychrome Horizon is used, but it is divided between Early and Late Polychrome Horizons. At the same time an entirely new area, eastern Acre, and its archaeological sub-phase Tequinho, dated 50BC – AD200 with its polychrome pottery, are brought into the discussion.

An Interpretation and Analysis on the Polychromy of Attic Korai from Votive and Funerary Contexts

The characteristic woman of Archaic Greek sculpture, the kore (pl. korai) stands proud, rigid, frontal, and omnisciently smirking at her viewer with the famous Archaic smile. She has been interpreted as an attendant, goddess, or deceased maiden, wearing representations of draped diaphanous robes, jewelry, and bearing offerings. Yet where her now clean marble surface exists once was intricately illuminated with vibrant pigments, inlaid stones, metals, and often accompanied by accessories of various materials. Recent advancements in analytical techniques have enabled scholars to delve deeper into the study of these sculptures, uncovering traces of pigments which would otherwise be left undetected. However, the image that these colours paint has yet to be thoroughly analysed and a history of intentional removal and surface cleaning has postponed a complete evaluation of the sculptures. In Attica, from the sixth to the early 5th century BCE, korai reflect stylistic progression and variation within and between archaeological contexts. A palette of colours was used to display features now lost to the modern eye. This paper examines the korai, proposing meaning through colour, patterns, and representations. Using polychrome reconstructions, spectral data, pottery, archaeological evidence, and ancient literary sources, the author interpreted the polychromy and decorative elements of Attic korai from votive and funerary contexts. Asking questions on symbolism, utility, cultural connection, and identity of the sculptures; this paper explains the use of pigments in relation to the symbolism of the sculptures and to their role in the greater framework of the Archaic Greek world.

Los artistas del Códice Laud: el enigma de su origen

Este artículo es una síntesis de una investigación más amplia dedicada al Códice Laud que centra su atención en el problema de su procedencia e, indirectamente, en el del Grupo Borgia. Se presentan las cualidades estilísticas de este manuscrito pictográfico, incluidos sus materiales y técnica pictórica; se analizan los argumentos esgrimidos con anterioridad por otros investigadores sobre el enigma de su origen, y se muestran las comparaciones estilísticas e iconográficas entre el Laud y otras obras de arte —pintura mural, cerámica pintada, relieves y escultura—, de seis diferentes regiones de Mesoamérica. Por medio del análisis iconográfico se reconoce al Códice Laud como un documento pictográfico prehispánico náhuatl y se propone la región de Tehuacán como su lugar de origen.

The organization of production for Inka Polychrome pottery from Pachacamac, Peru

This study investigates the organization of production for Inka Polychrome pottery used at the Temple of the Sun, Pachacamac. Inka Polychrome pottery was critical to imperial strategies for managing state power in the provinces. It was highly standardized in appearance yet is known to have been produced at many locations throughout the empire by Inka and subject potters. Pachacamac was an important political and ideological location on the central coast that was transformed by the Inka after C.E. 1470 into a major imperial center. To evaluate the production and source of pottery at Pachacamac, a sample of 149 ceramics in local, Inka Polychrome, and Regional Inka styles were evaluated using neutron activation analysis to identify compositional groups. Attributes related to the production and decoration of these ceramic artifacts were recorded and statistically compared between groups. Compositional data from this analysis was also compared to compositional data from ceramics excavated from other South American sites and analyzed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Results found that multiple groups of potters at multiple places (some of which are local) produced this pottery, and small amounts of pottery are being imported.

A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs

The Maya employed the k’an |K’AN| glyph in Late Classic (~750 CE) hieroglyphs on murals and polychrome pottery as an adjective meaning precious, yellow. On cacao drinking vessels, the k’an glyph was suggested as a descriptor for a flavoring ingredient, allspice, Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae). However, our previous consensus ethnobotanical fieldwork with Q’eqchi’ Maya healers of Belize revealed another candidate among antidiabetic plants, Tynanthus guatemalensis Donn. Sm. (Bignoniaceae), which was the healers’ top selection for treatment of diabetes and an exceptionally active extract in an antidiabetic assay for inhibition of protein glycation. Traits of T. guatemalensis observed after cross sectioning the liana were: (1) a cross-shaped xylem organization similar to the k’an glyph; (2) an allspice-like aroma; and (3) yellow color. Based on taxonomy and ethnobotany, confirmation of the allspice-like aromatic compound eugenol, and antidiabetic activity, we determined the plant described by the k’an glyph to be T. guatemalensis (chib’ayal in Q’eqchi’), not P. dioica (allspice). In contemporary Q’eqchi’ tradition, the section of the chib’ayal vine with its cross is associated with the eighth day of their Tzolk’in calendar, which is called the “nawal” (energy) of “q’anil” (ripe, full yellow). This day is represented with a different glyph from the k’an glyph, but notably has a cross representing the four cardinal points. The identification of a potent medicinal plant used in the late classic as well as contemporary times may suggest the long-term preservation of traditional medicinal knowledge in Maya culture for pharmacologically significant plants.

Nasca Pottery Production: Retrospect and Prospect

Nasca polychrome pottery is renowned for the variety of vessel shapes painted in vivid colors with fantastic creatures from Nasca cosmology. But for all its fame and riveting aesthetic qualities, the actual production of Nasca pottery is little explored. In recent years the principal contributions have come from characterization studies of paste and mineral paints, along with fresh perspectives on the social context. This article reviews the work to date and points out areas where new research is needed. The archaeological context is presented first, followed by consideration of ecological factors, potting tools, vessel construction methods, firing features, and the place of polychrome pottery in Nasca society.

Vaquerías ceramics: a techno-stylistic study of the earliest polychrome pottery in the Argentine Northwest

Abstract

Local Trade And Pottery Production In The Cusco Region Before And During The Wari Expansion

This paper assesses the impact of Wari state expansion on local trade networks in the Cusco region of southern Peru through an examination of the distribution of a locally-produced polychrome pottery style called Muyu Urqu. We present distribution data from regional surveys and excavation data from the village site of Ak’awillay to reconstruct the circulation of local ceramic wares and local economic activities before and after the Wari entered the area. Results suggest that the manufacture and trade of this locally-produced pottery style was little affected by Wari presence in Cusco, indicating that early expansionist states do not necessarily overwhelm or replace pre-existing social networks. Our findings add to a growing literature on local responses to Tiwanaku and Wari expansionism and the persistence of local traditions during the Middle Horizon (600–1000 CE) in the South-Central Andes.

The Chalcolithization Process: Dynamics of Shiqmim Site-cluster (Northern Negev, Israel)

The Northern Negev Chalcolithic Period is supposed to have lasted for approximately 1000 years, from ca. 4500 to 3500 BCE. Its beginning and end, as well as internal evolution are hotly debated topics. Archaeological evidence features the accelerated diversification of Late Neolithic mixed-farming societies and expansion into new territories. Some of these groups, through a “chalcolithization” process, adopted copper metallurgy, polychrome pottery and V-shape bowls. There is a punctuated shift with an initial differential adoption of new cultural practices that rippled afterward across the whole Levant through population admixtures. The internal dynamics of the Southern Levantine Chalcolithic societies is generally addressed through an inadequate time-frame and field methodology, ie stretched inferences derived from a single-site in an undifferentiated Chalcolithic time block. The Shiqmim hamlets project carried out in 1993, -with its own limitations-, allows to discuss the formation and evolution of a tight chalcolithic site-cluster. As featured in this paper, the analysis of the internal dynamics of chalcolithic societies requires a regional framework, a fine-grained rendering of sites occupation histories, and a high-resolution chronology.

NEW RESEARCH AT TEOTIHUACAN’S TLAJINGA DISTRICT, 2012–2015

AbstractTeotihuacan's Tlajinga district is a cluster of neighborhoods on the southern periphery of the city best known for earlier investigations at Compound 33:S3W1. New research includes excavations at two other apartment compounds and along the southern extension of the Street of the Dead. Excavation contexts, major finds, chronology, and preliminary interpretations are the subject of this article. We highlight evidence attesting to a major obsidian-blade workshop at Compound 17:S3E1, offerings, and other features at that compound and Compound 18:S3E1, and the tempo and processes of urbanization viewed through well-recorded stratigraphic sequences of the compounds and the Street of the Dead. We conclude that significant occupation began in the Miccaotli phase, but it was not until some point in the Early Tlamimilolpa phase that the dominant housing type became apartment compounds; the continuation of the axis of Street of the Dead in the district was accomplished by excavating in the volcanic tuft substrate (tepetate) and could have been undertaken by the inhabitants of the district themselves; and the presence of items such as a sculpted stone face, marine shell, and polychrome pottery demonstrates that commoners at Teotihuacan enjoyed some access to finer items within the interregional economy.

Documentos, mapas y arqueología: decifrando dos grupos étnicos entre 1400 y 1600 en la Amazónia norte de Equador, algunas inferencias

El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad considerar que a pesar de la irrupción Española, el proceso de desarrollo histórico cultural tuvo continuídad en las sociedades amazónicas de las regiones interfluviales del Norte del Ecuador. Para inferir este proceso se analizan documentos y mapas producidos durante los primeros siglos de la colonia, y nuevas evidencias arqueológicas asociadas con fechas radiocarbónicas cercanas a la presencia hispana. A partir de este análisis se confirma que dos importantes grupos étnicos ocuparon entre 1400 y 1600 d. C. el Norte amazónico. Los Omagua-Yete a lo largo del curso del río Coca y los Encabellados divididos en dos subgrupos entre el Napo y Putumayo. Así mismo se infiere que los Omagua no fueron portadores de la tradición de cerámica polícroma (Fase Napo), si no más bien estuvieron asociados a la tradición de cerámica corrugada con el nuevo estilo decorativo de falsocorrugado. Por otra parte, la distribución geográfica de las evidencias arqueológicas sugiere que los Encabellados conformaron varias tribus, las que posteriormente fueron denominados con nombres específicos.

Copper content in anthropogenic sediments as a tracer for detecting smelting activities and its impact on environment during prehistoric period in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China

The Hexi Corridor of northwestern China was a principal axis of cultural interchange between eastern and western Eurasia during the prehistoric and historic epochs. Neolithic groups began dense settlements in Hexi Corridor after 4300 BP with millet crops and polychrome pottery from north China and bronze from Central Asia around 4000 BP accompanied by wheat, barley, and sheep. The impact of these activities on the environment during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age is not clearly understood. Therefore, we analyzed the Cu concentrations of samples collected within cultural layers of anthropogenic sediments from 17 Late Neolithic and Bronze Age sites located within the Hexi Corridor. The Cu content is reported in view of the archaeological and paleoclimatic research undertaken in the area. Our results enabled us to explore the variety of human impact on the environment before and after the introduction of bronze technology into Hexi Corridor. During 4300–4000 BP, Cu concentrations of the anthropogenic sediments were constrained within natural background values. However, from 4000 to 3400 BP, they increased substantially and far exceeded the natural background. The Cu concentrations then declined and remained above the natural background from 3000 to 2400 BP. Our work suggests that the introduction of copper melting technology led to human alteration of sediments’ chemical properties in their surrounding environments in Hexi Corridor since 4000 BP; its intensity was closely related to human settlement density, which was further affected by climate change and livelihood transition in the area during Bronze period.

Chemical analysis of Late Classic Maya polychrome pottery paints and pastes from Central Petén, Guatemala

This paper examines political-economic relationships among Late Classic (ca. 600–900 CE) political centers in the Petén Lakes region, Guatemala, through the chemical analysis of red paints and pastes of polychrome vessels. Chemical analysis of red paints was conducted using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and chemical analysis of vessel pastes was conducted using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). These analyses indicate that a number of political centers along the western shore of Lake Petén Itzá, namely Motul de San José, Tayasal, and Flores, had access to different polychrome pottery production communities. Nonetheless, inhabitants of these Petén Lakes sites moved between, gifted, or exchanged polychrome pottery with each other, indicating that western Petén Lakes region centers closely interacted with each other. We suggest that these sites may have been part of or allied with the epigraphically known Ik’ polity. As such, we find that one of the strengths of ‘second-tier’ polities, such as the Ik’ polity, did not depend on an individual site's size or monumental expression, but on the relationships they forged with other centers.

Polychrome Pottery Economics and Ritual Life in Postclassic Oaxaca, Mexico

Tututepec was a regional capital that dominated much of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Late Postclassic period (A.D. 1100-1522). This article synthesizes the results of compositional (neutron activation and petrography), stylistic, and iconographic analyses of pottery from commoner household excavations at Tututepec to address questions concerning ceramic production and distribution and also to shed light on aspects of political economy and domestic ritual at the capital. The study focuses primarily on Mixteca-Puebla polychromes, painted serving vessels bearing complex decorative motifs. Our compositional analyses, interpreted in light of the bedrock geology of the region, indicate that commoners obtained at least six to ten distinct varieties of pottery made from raw materials available locally within greater Tututepec. We argue that households probably acquired pottery through a central marketplace at the capital. In addition, our study demonstrates that commoners had regular access to polychromes from multiple producers, challenging the widespread notion that these vessels were restricted to elites who controlled their production. We argue that polychrome serving vessels played a prominent role in commonly occurring domestic rituals. Furthermore, commoners appear to have consciously selected vessels painted with imagery associated with warfare and sacrifice, suggesting that they actively supported the official imperial ideology of Tututepec.

Different models for the Neolithisation of Albania

According to the archaeological evidence, the Neolithisation process in Albania seems to have passed through three different phases, with chronological gaps between them. The earliest phase is represented at the Vlusha site, where coarse monochrome pottery was found in the same layer as microlithic tools. The second phase can be traced back to the Konispol site, where Impresso pottery appeared immediately above the Mesolithic layer. The third phase is represented by the Podgorie I site, which is characterised by red monochrome slipped ware, white-painted pottery, polychrome pottery, as well as pottery with impresso and barbotine decoration.

Polychrome Pottery from the Later Neolithic of the Isle of Man

This article reports the discovery of colour-decorated pottery dating to the third millennium bc from the Isle of Man, the earliest yet known from the British Isles. Scientific studies of the vessel highlight technical aspects of its manufacture which are then used to situate the vessel in a wider social and cultural context through a brief review of its wider biography. The choice of colours — white, black and red — and their arrangement on the vessel walls are linked to wider north European symbolic schemes reflected also in contemporary pottery, mobiliary and rock art.

POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONS AND THE EVERYDAY IN POSTCLASSIC OAXACA

AbstractWe use excavations of low-status houses to explore Postclassic political and economic transformations in the lower Río Verde Valley, Oaxaca. Following the collapse of Classic period political institutions, commoners experienced greater economic and political autonomy. Residential excavations at Río Viejo indicate that commoners took advantage of the absence of regional authority to gain greater control over surplus craft products, especially cotton thread, as well as access to social valuables and long distance trade. By the Late Postclassic period, the region was once again dominated by powerful rulers. Yet household excavations at Tututepec show that Late Postclassic commoners continued to control some surplus craft production and had access to social valuables like copper and polychrome pottery via market exchange. We argue that Late Postclassic political relations were a product of negotiations among elites and commoners that in part reflect the greater economic autonomy and political power that Early Postclassic people had acquired.

Analysis of proteinaceous binding media used in Tang Dynasty polychrome pottery by MALDI-TOF-MS

The proteinaceous binding media used in Tang Dynasty polychrome pottery was determined using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The optimum conditions for the extraction and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the protein sample were established, and applied to the pretreatment of model and historical samples. Complexation of EDTA in combination with dialysis was determined to be the most effective method for eliminating interferences in polychrome layers taken from historical samples. Model samples were aged by burial in loess so as to more closely replicate the ageing process of the historical samples. Using the aforementioned optimized conditions, the “peptide mass fingerprint” of the binding media of historical and model samples was determined by MALDI-TOF-MS. Comparisons between the “peptide mass fingerprint” obtained for the historical sample and those of the model samples proved that animal glue was used as the binding media for the Tang Dynasty polychrome pottery. It also shows that animal glue used as binding media enjoys a long history in China.

Ceramics and Polity in the Casas Grandes Area, Chihuahua, Mexico

AbstractThe Medio period (ca. A.D. 1150–1475) at the primate center of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, is characterized by polychrome pottery with elaborate, finely painted designs. This originally was presumed to be the peak of an evolutionary sequence that began with coarse, simple decoration. New research and dating show that this was not the case. Instead, fine painting and an elaborate set of design motifs are added to the older, simpler style at about A.D. 1300. Both types of decoration are produced through the fourteenth century. The addition of the new style is coincident with the rise of Casas Grandes and was one part of a symbolic package that emphasized the prestige of the center. It is further argued that the collapse of the primate center in the fifteenth century saw the demise of its symbolism. The older and simpler part of the Medio period tradition, however, likely continued to be made at small, scattered post-Casas Grandes communities. These have been unrecognizable in surface surveys, as their sparse surface ceramic assemblages contain Medio period utilitarian wares. This has led to the supposition that the Casas Grandes area was abandoned after the fall of the primate center. This long-popular belief may be incorrect.