pre-Hispanic Pottery Research Articles

Things we gain in the fire. Archaeometric approach of firing temperatures in pre-Hispanic pottery from the Upper Delta of Paraná River (Argentina)

Resumen En la arqueología del Nordeste argentino son escasos los trabajos que estudian las condiciones de quema de la alfarería prehispánica, no habiéndose aplicado técnicas físico-químicas que midan las transformaciones que sufre la pared cerámica durante el proceso de cocción. Con el propósito de revertir este estado de situación, aplicamos difracción de rayos X, análisis térmico diferencial y termogravimétrico, y dilatometría sobre 31 muestras de cerámicas arqueológicas recuperadas en los sitios Los Tres Cerros 1 y Cerro Tapera Vázquez (Delta Superior del río Paraná). La mayoría de las muestras (i.e., contenedores restringidos y no restringidos, campanas y cuchara) fue cocida a temperaturas superiores a 550/650 ºC e inferiores a 800 ºC; cuatro no superaron los 550/650 ºC y dos fueron sometidas a temperaturas superiores a los 800/900 ºC. A partir de la integración de estos resultados con evidencia etnoarqueológica, experimental y arqueológica interpretamos el amplio rango de temperaturas de cocción detectado (< 550 ºC y > 800 ºC) como un indicador de quemas en estructuras abiertas (i.e., fogones o pozos). Esta información nos permitió discutir hipótesis sobre las condiciones de cocción propuestas en investigaciones previas y plantear a futuro un programa experimental que permitirá conocer distintos aspectos de las quemas prehispánicas.

Pigment identification of prehispanic ceramics during Inka occupation (Catamarca, Argentina) using non-invasive spectroscopy (Infrared-Raman)

The Hualfin Valley presents a long occupation period from the first agropastoralist societies (BC 200) to the Inka occupation (AD 1400). Ceramic production has played a fundamental role, being an important indicator of social and political conditions. Published studies related to ceramic production on pre-Hispanic populations of the valley focused on the designs, clay procurement sources and production techniques. However, the identification of pigments used for the ceramic decoration remains to be investigated. In this study, we conduct an analysis related to the ceramic production in the Villavil 2 site (Catamarca, Argentina) through the application of vibrational spectroscopy (Infrared-Raman), with the objective of identifying the chemical compounds implemented on the decorative techniques as well as the specific uses to which they were intended.The results showed that red paintings implemented on the Inka style and Belén style (prehispanic pottery) were obtained from hematite (α-Fe2O3) present in the area; the intensity of the coloration could have been generated from the exposition of the material to oxidative conditions resulting from firing at high temperatures of 600 °C. The black paintings were of principal inorganic nature as suggested by the presence of minerals derived from manganese oxides such as magnetite (Fe3O4), jacobsite (MnFe2O4) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3).

Pre-hispanic pottery from the Zoque area of Tabasco, Mexico: Provenance implications

In this contribution, outcomes of recent studies on pre-Hispanic ceramics from Zoque Area (mountainous region of Tabasco State, Southeastern Mexico) are presented. The collection included 136 sherds, mainly recovered from ritual offerings contexts, in 13 diverse archaeological spots (three settlements, nine caves, and a rock shelter). Morpho-functional analysis of this collection allowed identifying the ceramic typology, according available bibliography. In parallel, pottery Type-Variety identification made to set a relative chronology for the Zoque cultural area, ranging from Early-Late Preclassic (1200 BCE-250 CE), until Early-Late Postclassic Period (1100–1500 CE), although not in continuous occupation. INAA and multivariate statistics analysis were applied to the ceramic pastes. According to this study, samples were grouped in distinct chemical-composition clusters, for each Period, which allows recognizing some features: A) many analyzed items were locally manufactured; B) Zoque Preclassic ceramic pastes are different from Olmec pottery and from Oaxaca Highlands; C) some Zoque pottery has similar chemical composition to pastes from San Lorenzo, San Isidro and Pomoca, since Preclassic times until later Periods; D) several Late-Terminal Classic and Early-Late Postclassic Zoque pastes are chemically similar to Maya ceramics. These results indicate that the Zoque, additionally to produce their own pottery, were involved in the shifting ceramics exchange networks of Southeastern Mexico, over time.

Archaeometry study of the mineral and chemical composition of pre-Hispanic pottery from “Los Teres”, Mesa de Los Santos (Colombia)

Archaeometry study of the mineral and chemical composition of pre-Hispanic pottery from “Los Teres”, Mesa de Los Santos (Colombia)

Alluvial clays and crushes sherds. A petrographic analysis of Middle Paraná pre-hispanic pottery (south America)

This article presents petrographic profiles of Pre-Hispanic pottery from four sites linked to the Goya-Malabrigo archaeological entity, within the Paraná River system (north-east Argentina, South America). As pottery is the most common archaeological remains from the wetlands sites of the aforementioned river, it has been widely studied, usually at on the macroscopic level. In the present work, petrographic thin-section data was subjected to multivariate analysis and tests of significance. Consequently, it was possible to test a number of hypotheses linked to Goya-Malabrigo pottery production and, also, to other ceramic traditions linked to different pre-Hispanic groups who occupied the wetlands of the Paraná River. No significant differences in the petrographic profiles of the analysed paste samples were observed. Most of the inclusions have not been manually added by the potters. The use of clays rich in quartz could be a major factor explaining the high rates of quartz in the studied samples. Significant differences were not observed in the frequency of crushed sherds present in the sample pastes; this fact contrasts with the chronological marker status assigned to the grog. Indeed, the inclusion of grog into the ceramics may have a symbolic meaning.

The ~ AD 500–700 (Late Classic) El Astillero and El Pedregal volcanoes (Michoacán, Mexico): a new monogenetic cluster in the making?

The recent identification of Holocene volcanic clusters in small areas within the Michoacan Guanajuato Volcanic Field (MGVF) opens several questions regarding future volcanic hazard assessments in this region. Documenting vent alignments and eruption recurrence intervals within clusters will provide parameters necessary for making temporal and spatial hazard evaluations. Here, we present a possible new case of a small cluster consisting of only two monogenetic volcanoes, El Astillero and El Pedregal located in the ~ 4400-km2 Tancitaro-Nueva Italia region in the southwestern part of the MGVF, only 25 km to the south of Paricutin volcano. We determined from paleomagnetic and radiocarbon dating that El Astillero and El Pedregal most likely erupted one after the other between AD 500 and 700 (within the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican archeology). While the eruptions were likely separated by a short period of time, the exact length is difficult to ascertain. After the ~ 6 years of total estimated eruption duration of the two volcanoes, both together occupied an area of 14.7 km2 and emitted a dense rock equivalent (DRE) volume of magma of ~ 0.5 km3. Notable characteristics of the eruptions include a switch from the explosive activity exclusive of El Astillero (Strombolian) to effusive activity early after the initiation of the El Astillero eruption, a shift in the active vents, and a progressive change in the bulk magma composition from basaltic andesite to andesite throughout the duration of the eruption. This activity first formed the El Astillero scoria cone and tephra deposits followed by its lava field and ended with the emplacement of the El Pedregal viscous lavas. The discovery of pre-Hispanic pottery sherds and obsidian artifacts underneath the El Astillero tephra fallout unambiguously attests to human activities in the area before the eruption. Judging by their eruptive style, the eruptions probably had a limited impact on the small area affected and the surrounding human activities, but the hazard for this area remains since El Astillero and El Pedregal could represent the initial stages of a new cluster that is still in the making. If so, another eruption should be expected in this area again.

First archaeomagnetic results from Colombia (the Bogotá Savanna Pre-Hispanic sites): Implications for the Caribbean absolute geomagnetic intensity variation curve

Colombia is located along so-called intermediate area between two major American civilizations: Mesoamerica and Central Andes. Despite impressive archaeological sites throughout whole Colombian territory and great cultural heritage, still no regional geomagnetic secular variation curve is available. Here, we report first, systematic archaeointensity measurements on the Bogotá Savanna Pre-Hispanic pottery samples corresponding to a radiometrically well dated archaeological context. Seventy-two samples belonging to six potsherds were subjected to the full battery of rock-magnetic experiments in order to select the most suitable samples for double heating palaeointensity experiments. The selected samples exhibited magnetically and thermally stable behavior pointing to titanium-poor titanomagnetite as responsible for magnetization. Under our imposed selection and acceptance criteria, only 37 specimens coming from two pottery fragments provided high-quality technical determinations. These new data together with all up to now available similar-quality determinations from the Caribbean region were used to build a first regional reference curve using a bootstrap method. The main variation tendency observed in the Caribbean curve is rather similar to the North American (central Mexico and southern United States) patterns but show substantial difference with the South American regional variation curve, most probably influenced by non-dipole contribution due to the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly. This first Caribbean curve extends the knowledge of the absolute intensity variation over the three millennia and should be considered as most reliable dating tool in Colombia and surrounding regions.

Mineralogical characterization of pre-hispanic pottery at the Mesa de Los Santos region, Colombia

espanolLa aplicacion de la mineralogia en arqueologia ha venido creciendo en interes en particular con relacion a establecer la procedencia de las arcillas utilizadas en la elaboracion de artefactos ceramicos antiguos. La mineralogia no mostro una relacion clara con los colores expresados por el sistema ceramico definidos por los arqueologos; es decir, independiente del color del engobe, cada grupo tiene los mismos componentes mineralogicos. Se seleccionaron catorce piezas de alfareria prehispanica de la region de la Mesa de Los Santos (Colombia) para la caracterizacion mineralogica por difraccion de rayos X, microscopia electronica de barrido y espectroscopia infrarroja de transformada de Fourier. El objetivo del trabajo fue contribuir al conocimiento de la tecnologia de produccion y dilucidar una posible procedencia regional de estas ceramicas. Las fases mineralogicas observadas fueron plagioclasa, cuarzo, feldespato potasico, minerales de arcilla, micas, minerales de carbonato y oxidos de hierro. Las temperaturas de coccion estan en los rangos 600-800°C para casi todas las muestras analizadas. EnglishThe application of mineralogy in archeology has been growing in interest in particular in relation to establishing the origin of the clays used in the elaboration of ancient ceramic artifacts. The mineralogy did not show a clear relationship with the colors expressed by the pottery system defied by the archeologists; that is, independent of the color of the slip, each group has the same mineralogical components. Fourteen Pre-Hispanic pottery sherds from the Mesa de Los Santos region (Colombia) were selected for mineralogical characterization by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The objective of the work was to contribute to the knowledge of the production technology and elucidate a possible regional origin of these ceramics. The observed mineralogical phases were plagiocalse, quartz, potassium feldspar, clay minerals, micas, carbonate minerals, and iron oxides. Firing temperatures are in the ranges 600-800°C for almost all the analyzed samples.

Pre–Hispanic ceramics from the Popoloca Central Area, Mexico

A study about pre–Hispanic ceramics (pastes and pigments) coming from archaeological sites of the Valley of Metzontla, Mexico (Iglesia Vieja San Sebastian, Coronilla Hill, Agua Socoya Hill and Metzontla Hill), from sites of the vicinity (Cutha, Teteles de Santo Nombre, and Tehuacan Viejo), and from one more distant site (Champayan) is presented. Raw materials such as clays, tempers and pigments were studied as well. Nuclear activation analyses, energy dispersion spectroscopy, and X–ray diffraction were applied. According to the chemical composition of the pastes six groups of ceramics were identified: one of them includes pre–Hispanic Popoloca Orange ceramic, one other group is similar to pre–Hispanic Brown ceramic and present–day Los Reyes Metzontla's samples, and several other exemplars were quite different to these groups. The brown ethnographic pottery of Los Reyes Metzontla town is chemically identical to those pre–Hispanic pottery; apparently raw materials have been the same for a long period of time, whereas Popoloca Orange ceramic is no longer manufactured in the region. Similarities and differences were found among the ceramics of the Metzontla Valley and those of the sites located within the Popoloca area and beyond.

Compositional variability of pigments of Belén-style prehispanic ceramics from El Bolsón Valley, Catamarca Province, Argentina

This paper presents the first studies on the compositional characterization of the pigments used on Belén-style prehispanic pottery from El Bolsón valley (Catamarca, northwestern Argentina). The integrated analyses using micro-Raman spectroscopy and XRD revealed variability in the precursors used to generate the black paints: manganese oxides, magnetite, titanomagnetite, carbon and calcined bone. This variability of compounds, and their use in various combinations, had not been previously documented for a particular ceramic style, and provides evidence of the coexistence of different recipes for the elaboration of paints. It is also noted that this is the first case in which the use of calcined bone as a component in black paint is registered. From these results, and those previously obtained from ceramic pastes, it is proposed that the Belén-style pottery manufacture from El Bolsón valley was not standardized, but developed with low intensity in small-scale workshops.

Chemical and Petrographic Analysis of Pre-Hispanic Pottery from the Southern Abaucán Valley, Catamarca, Argentina

Neutron activation (NAA) and petrographic analyses were carried out on Late and Inca Period pottery from 15 archaeological sites and several clay samples in the southern Abaucán Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. The results from the NAA and petrographic analyses provide new data concerning local versus non-local pottery production and vessel exchange for these two pre-Hispanic cultural periods. The chemical data demonstrate the use of different clay sources over time until the Inca appearance in the region, when a more structured and controlled production is observed. Petrographic analyses show a similar change in the ceramic paste recipes used by ancient potters.

The pre-Hispanic ceramic technology of South American hunter–gatherers (Paraná River Delta, Argentina): a preliminary archaeometric study

This work presents the preliminary results of studies conducted on pre-Hispanic pottery produced by the South American hunter–gatherer communities that inhabited the Parana River lowlands during the Late Holocene. The data generated allow advancement of knowledge and discussion regarding the ceramic technologies employed by these groups, which have to date received little archaeological study. Specifically, technological and formal-functional analyses have been performed on a ceramic assemblage from the site of Cerro Puesto Acosta, located in the upper region of delta formed by this high-volume South American river in northeastern Argentina. Both macroscopic and microscopic aspects of these ceramics have been studied using archaeometric techniques (petrographic analysis). The patterns revealed by these analyses suggest the implementation of technological choices oriented towards the creation of vessels especially suitable for the processing, cooking, and serving of foods, which indicates the economic importance of these artifacts in allowing maximum advantage to be taken of the area’s available resources.

Materiales arqueológicos recuperados a un costado de la Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México

The interventions of archaeological recovery in Mexico City have allowed researchers to rebuild the historical outlook of the first Hispanic metropolis in America, even ages before the European presence. This article shows the discoveries made during the excavations of civil work in one of the jardinières located in the west side of the Metropolitan Cathedral, which came up interesting because of the finding of architectonic remains, perhaps related to the urban complex surrounding the pristine catholic temple of the colonial city, and also because of the local artificial stratigraphy, along with the rubbish deposits of the 16th century which were a part of the underground filling, and mainly consisted of prehispanic pottery and colonial ceramic of both national and imported manufacture, with the addition of diverse animal bone remains that were part of the residents daily consumption, and in which varied anthropic alterations formed during food processing were detected.

The role of compositional analysis to study the production and distribution of pre-Hispanic pottery

Actualmente existe un contexto mas favorable para la aplicacion de tecnicas arqueometricas en el Peru, por lo que es oportuna una revision exhaustiva de su posible contribucion al analisis de la ceramica prehispanica. En este articulo se ofrece, en primer lugar, una sintesis de los temas en el analisis de ceramica que pueden estudiarse por metodos arqueometricos. Luego se aborda el analisis composicional como metodo para definir la procedencia, se enumeran las premisas de este tipo de estudio y se recomiendan los criterios para seleccionar las muestras. A continuacion se comparan los metodos mineralogicos y quimicos en el estudio de la procedencia. Por ultimo, se describe el analisis estadistico necesario para descubrir los grupos composicionales y la procedencia. Como conclusion, se recomienda identificar el centro de produccion usando criterios arqueologicos y geologicos.

Advantages and limitations of OM, SEM, TEM and AFM in the study of ancient decorated pottery

This paper presents results from the study of two fragments of pre-Hispanic pottery, decorated with red pigment, using Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM). Capabilities and limitations of these techniques in the analysis of archaeological material are highlighted with special emphasis on TEM, AFM and MFM due to their contribution in the study of the pigment layer at micro and nano scale. The analyzed samples come from the archaeological sites of El Tajin and Xochicalco, both in Mexico. Results of conventional TEM and HRTEM analysis of the red pigment showed nanometric Fe2O3 particles in both samples but different particle shape and size distributions: specimen from El Tajin presented irregular particles between 50–100 nm while that from Xochicalco exhibited semispherical shapes in the 3–25 nm range. AFM images showed the topography of the pigments, which are related to the texture of their surface and thus to the production process. Finally, MFM showed different contrast regions suggesting the presence of ferromagnetic elements forming clusters and domain orientations on the color layer.

Characterization of pottery from Cerro de Las Ventanas, Zacatecas, México

With the aim of classifying prehispanic pottery from Cerro de Las Ventanas site, Juchipila, Zacatecas, Mexico, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used to analyze ceramic samples at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center. Thirty-two chemical elements were measured: Al, As, Ba, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Nd, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Ti, Th, U, V, Yb, Zn, and Zr. Two multivariate statistical methods, cluster analysis and principal component analysis, were performed on the dataset to examine similarities between samples and to establish compositional groups. The statistical analyses of the dataset suggest that the pottery samples form a unique chemically homogeneous group, with the exception of one pottery sample. The compositional data were compared to an existing Mesoamerican ceramic database. It was found that the newly generated data fit best with data from a previous chemical analysis of pottery from the Malpaso Valley. However, despite the apparent similarity, pottery samples from the site of Cerro de Las Ventanas represent a new and unique chemical fingerprint in the region.

Neutron Activation Analysis of Pre-Columbian Pottery in Venezuela

Pre-Hispanic pottery figurines from north-central Venezuela islands and mainland were analysed by neutron activation analysis (INAA and PGAA) at the Budapest Research to establish their provenience. In order to classify the samples of figurines, characteristic molecular and atomic components were determined. Several mass ratios were calculated for significant classification of the object of two origins. Results shed light on the origin of island figurines and suggest specific areas of their production on the mainland, contributing to better understanding of late pre-Hispanic migration patterns in the southeastern Caribbean region.

Incipient archaeometry in Venezuela: Provenance study of pre-Hispanic pottery figurines

Application of different analytical techniques contributed with new results to the interpretation and the provenance study of Venezuelan figurines dating from the 12th and 15th centuries. Elements in bulk samples, powdered samples of figurines and soil were determined using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). Results and ceramics macroscopic observations indicate that average elemental composition of the figurines from the mainland significantly differ from those encountered on the Caribbean islands. The multidisciplinary experience de facto formed a group dedicated to archaeometry and provided data for provenance study of pre-Hispanic pottery figurines.

Changes in luminescence properties induced by thermal treatments; a case study at Sipan and Trujillo Moche sites (Peru)

TL-dating studies were carried out on prehispanic pottery attributed to the Moche culture of Peru (from BC 200 to AD 800 according to the previously known chronology). A greater than expected scatter in ages was found for samples known, from archaeological considerations, to have been contemporaneous. This was related to applying a fixed, but inappropriate, annealing temperature to the grains prior to their irradiation to regenerate the TL growth curve. The dependence of growth of TL and equivalent dose evaluation on this annealing temperature was tested in the range 400–1000°C. A combined cathodoluminescence/TL study was used to select the appropriate thermal treatment for evaluation of the final equivalent dose. This procedure, which we suggest can be generally applied in pottery dating, resulted in a reduction of age dispersion when applied to groups of contemporaneous ceramics.

BACKCOUNTRY POTS

In Mesoamerica, the pottery made and used in regions peripheral to highly developed core areas is relatively plain; it is not standardized; and it has a narrow range of forms. Such pottery does not represent cultural “backwardness” or a tradition separate from that of core areas. Instead, backcountry pottery is explained by rational economic behavior of producers and consumers whose choices are constrained by location at the distant ends of dendritic or solar market systems. The literature on peasant markets provides a basis for distinguishing core versus peripheral economic behavior. Expectations for peripheral pottery are generated from this and from archaeological studies of pottery specialization. The pre-Hispanic pottery form Peñoles, a mountainous periphery of the Valley of Oaxaca, exhibits the expected characteristics. These results are limited by small sample size; more detailed studies should find a macroregional economy that is more variegated than that portrayed by the core–periphery dichotomy.