Geomorphological setting and Native American acquisition of buff-firing ceramic clays in the Lower and Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona

This study addresses buff-firing clay sources in dynamic alluvial settings along Arizona’s Gila River in the U.S. Southwest. We establish clay resource distribution relative to the geomorphic histories of the Lower and Middle Gila River based on 38 clay samples and ethnographic data from two US Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) projects. Buff-firing clayey alluvium, deposited in the Gila River floodplain 800 to 1,500 or more years ago, was a surficial ceramic raw material source for prehistoric Hohokam and lowland Patayan potters. This geomorphic unit was later removed in some places and buried by up to 3-4 m of sediment in others, reducing the availability of buff-firing clays in the Hohokam Classic period and requiring historic Pee Posh and Akimel O’odham potters to dig pits to access it. Sources were further destroyed in catastrophic floods in the late 19th and early 20th century, affecting ceramic manufacture patterns and ultimately contributing to the decline of pottery production by the O’odham living in the Gila River Valley. Our results contribute to regional ceramic ecology and should also be of interest to others investigating alluvial clay use in general or buff-firing alluvial clays in particular. The study also illustrates the value of combining geomorphic and ethnographic data to examine major changes in resource distribution and use.     

Testing the provenance of Patayan pottery at Las Colinas: chemical and petrographic analyses of phyllite-temper fragments

Mobile Patayan foragers of the interior desert of southwestern Arizona were makers of Lower Colorado Buff Ware ceramics. These containers were sometimes traded to Hohokam irrigation agriculturalists at the western margin of the Hohokam territory. By A.D. 1100, the distribution of Patayan Buff Wares shifted to the east, penetrating the Hohokam heartland. Some theorists have suggested the ceramic distribution implies a migration of Patayan people, who joined agricultural communities in the Hohokam core area. One way to assess this idea is to identify the production of Patayan material culture within the Hohokam territory. We test for the local manufacture of Lower Colorado Buff Ware at the Hohokam village of Las Colinas, where Patayan pottery was found in abundance, and a Patayan enclave has been inferred. Using petrographic analysis and SEM-EDS assays of the phyllite temper fragments in the Patayan wares, we conclude that the Patayan pottery was made elsewhere and was not fabricated with local materials at Las Colinas.     

Hohokam Residential Organization at Kearny,Arizona

Abstract

A Hohokam Sacaton phase (A.D. 950–1100) courtyard group excavated at Kearny along the Gila River in central Arizona (designated AZ V: 13:201[ASM]) consists of seven houses and associated features. The features, material culture, chronology, subsistence, growth sequence, activity structure, group size, and formation and abandonment processes of this courtyard group are discussed. The findings reinforce the interpretation that courtyard groups were fundamental features of Hohokam society and were a common form of residential organization across the region. The study highlights the value of spatial studies in the analysis of archaeological sites.     

Testing technological practices: neutron activation analysis of neolithic ceramics from Valencia,Spain

Using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of prehistoric pottery, daub, and modern clay samples from Valencia, Spain, we tested expectations on changes in raw material use with socio-economic shifts during the Neolithic (ca. 5600–2800 BC). Elemental analysis identified three distinctive clay source groups used by Neolithic potters. Contrary to expectations, a shift in raw material use was identified between the Early and Middle Neolithic despite general similarities in technological practices. In the Late Neolithic, pottery production became more specialized, but potters used the same range of clay sources documented earlier. This study illustrates the utility of INAA for testing hypotheses of prehistoric craft production.     

The process,location, and history of Hohokam Buff ware production: some experimental and analytical results

A distinctive red-on-buff pottery, found throughout central and southern Arizona, is a hallmark of prehistoric Hohokam culture. To manufacture it, Hohokam potters used a complicated recipe and controls for firing to chemically manipulate their clay and produce a light-colored fabric on which to paint their red designs. In this study, firing experiments and ceramic analysis are used in conjunction with excavation evidence to evaluate competing ideas about the buff ware manufacturing process, investigate where the pots were made, and model the developmental history of red-on-buff production.     

Temporal Patterns in Ceramic Production in the Berbati Valley,Greece

Abstract

This research explores temporal patterns in the procurement of raw materials for ceramic production, based mainly on material recovered in regional survey. The underlying premise is that potters in different cultural phases will preferentially exploit the same geological landscape for the most suitable raw materials, but different materials may be preferred depending upon the potter's technological traditions. A program of petrographic and chemical analyses was carried out on ceramics from the Berbati-Limnes Archaeological Survey, Argolid, Greece. Ceramic fabrics from several cultural phases were studied and compared with patterns of settlement within the valley. The results show that ceramics from regional surveys can be used to identify broad patterns of change in exploitation of the same landscape. In some cases these patterns correlate with changes in settlement and may indicate that different choices in raw material procurement mark the arrival of potters from outside the valley.     

Hunting intensification and the Hohokam “collapse”

The role of long-term demographic stress in the “collapse” of the Hohokam culture of southern Arizona is an open question. If chronic imbalances between population levels and food production, as opposed to catastrophic events, were key factors in the population decline of the 15th century, then the archaeological record should produce evidence for resource stress prior to the near-abandonment of the region. It is difficult to document resource depression in archaeofaunas from southern Arizona, however, because they are dominated by small game throughout the agricultural sequence. Furthermore, in an ecologically and economically diverse region, it is difficult to apply data from an individual site to a region-wide phenomenon like the Hohokam demographic decline. This study uses data from 85 faunal assemblages to explore hunting strategies from the earliest agricultural villages to the cessation of archaeologically visible occupation of the region. One means of hunting intensification employed by the Hohokam was to diversify beyond a focus on staple rabbit species, through the use of fish, birds, artiodactyls, and smaller terrestrial game. Diversification is measured in this study through evenness indices. These indices suggest that demographic stress was increasing in the dense population centers of the Salt and Gila River basins prior to the “collapse.”     

Hematite sources and archaeological ochres from Hohokam and O’odham sites in central Arizona: an experiment in type identification and characterization

The use of ochre is a defining characteristic of populations living in the Sonoran Desert of the American Southwest. Red pigments and paints were used for craft production, bodily adornment, rock art, and in mortuary contexts. Hematite and other iron-oxides are common components of this pigment that frequently appear in the archaeological record in a variety of forms and in various stages of production. Beyond this, very little is known about these materials. This paper describes the collection of potential geological sources of ochre in the Phoenix Basin and presents a methodology for the identification of processed paints. Geological sources samples are characterized using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and compared to raw materials recovered archaeologically from the Gila River Indian Community reservation. This preliminary study indicates that iron-oxide sources can be distinguished from each other and that artifacts can be matched to these sources, revealing local procurement along the Gila River by Hohokam and O’odham artisans and continuity in use of one source from the prehistoric period to the present.     

ICP-MS trace element analysis of Song dynasty porcelains from Ding,Jiexiu and Guantai kilns,north China

Bodies of Ding kiln white porcelains and their imitations from Guantai and Jiexiu kilns of the Chinese Song dynasty (960–1279 AD) were analysed for 40 trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Numerous trace element compositions and ratios allow these visually similar products to be distinguished, and a Ding-style shard of uncertain origin is identified as a likely genuine Ding product. In Jiexiu kiln, Ding-style products have trace element features distinctive from blackwares of an inferior quality intended for the lower end market. Based on geochemical behaviour of these trace elements, we propose that geochemically distinctive raw materials were used for Ding-style products of a higher quality, which possibly also underwent purification by levigation prior to use. Capable of analysing over 40 elements with a typical long term precision of <2%, this high precision ICP-MS method proves to be very powerful for grouping and characterising archaeological ceramics. Combined with geochemical interpretation, it can provide insights into the raw materials and techniques used by ancient potters.     

Continuity and change in fine-ware production in the eastern Maya lowlands during the Classic to Postclassic transition (<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ad</Emphasis> 800–1250)

This study presents the results of an investigation into fine-ware production in the eastern Maya lowlands during the Classic to Postclassic transition (ca. ad 800–1250), a period characterised by the collapse of the Maya dynastic tradition. A selection of fine-ware ceramics—Ahk’utu’ vases and Zakpah ceramics—from various sites across Belize was examined by thin-section petrography and SEM-EDS analyses. The resultant compositional and technological data reveal that fine-ware production exhibited varying degrees of continuity and change in potters’ choices of raw materials and manufacturing technologies. The most significant change occurred in craft organisation. Fine-ware production shifted from the co-existence of two ceramic traditions, which guided potters regarding the raw materials used and technical practices followed in making Ahk’utu’ vases during the earlier phase of transition (ca. ad 800–900/950), to the dominance of one broad tradition with greater liberty accorded producers in their execution of Zakpah fine-ware production during the later phase (ca. ad 950/1000–1200/1250). Such a shift is argued to have been stimulated by a change and increase in the demands for fine-ware ceramics during the later phase of the transition, corresponding to the emergence and proliferation of a new elite stratum in the Maya lowlands.     

ETHNO-ARCHAEOLOGY OF POTTERY FIRING IN DARFUR, SUDAN: IMPLICATIONS FOR CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY STUDIES

Summary. In 1982 the author spent six months in Darfur, Sudan, studying a group of itinerant female potters. This paper examines their method of manufacturing and firing, and discusses data observed from 21 pyrometric readings. The use of a bonfire for firing ceramics is described and it is concluded that, despite the apparent simplicity of the technique, the Kebkebiya potters control the appearance of their ware to a surprising degree, since surface colour and quality of vessels to suit a particular function can be regulated by the firing technique. A study of the preparation of raw material shows that these potters never take a single clay but use a mixture from three distinct sources, and petrological analysis and firing tests of the original clays indicate that none of the source clays is workable individually. Different fillers (millet-husk and donkey-dung) are added to clay used to form different sections of the pot (body and neck respectively) and the effect of these is discussed. The extent of the potter's control over the technological process is emphasised.     

Taken with a Grain of Salt: Experimentation and the Chemistry of Archaeological Ceramics from Xaltocan,Mexico

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) of ceramics from Xaltocan (n?=?651) displays high values for sodium and potassium and low concentrations of many transition metals and rare earth elements compared to other sites in the Basin of Mexico. Given that Xaltocan was situated on an island in the middle of a saline lake, the potential reasons for this chemical signature are diverse. On one hand, if the sodium and potassium were elevated due to some behavioral aspect of the potters, the Xaltocan chemical groups provide a glimpse at the behaviors of Xaltocan potters that permit more precise source designations. On the other hand, if this chemical fingerprint arose due to contamination in a saline post-depositional environment, the Xaltocan chemical groups would not be valid references for provenance studies. To evaluate these alternative hypotheses, we employ several lines of evidence: (1) comparison of the Xaltocan ceramics to over 5,000 NAA assays of clays and ceramics from the Basin of Mexico, (2) experimental doping of clays with water of different salinities and fired to different temperatures, (3) leaching experiments of archaeological pottery sherds (n?=?22) recovered from the site of Xaltocan, and (4) laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry of the clay and temper fraction of a small sample of Xaltocan ceramics to determine which component is responsible for the elevated sodium and potassium values. The results suggest that the high sodium and potassium values were present in the ceramic paste before firing. We then use these newly established reference groups to better understand the role of Xaltocan in the regional economy. The type of experimentation employed in this study has proven to be an important method for determining the behaviors of ancient potters and distinguishing them from post-depositional processes.     

The Hohokam of the American Southwest

The Hohokam, the prehistoric farmers of the southern Arizona desert, have been the subject of increased archaeological investigation in the last two decades. This research is altering traditional views of the Hohokam. New data provide a stronger basis for discussing Hohokam origins and culture history. Although best known as irrigation farmers, the Hohokam had a complex subsistence base that relied on hunting, gathering, and a variety of farming techniques. Studies of site structure and settlement patterning reveal a degree of social complexity greater than previously recognized. The Hohokam were tied to surrounding groups through evolving exchange and interaction networks.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COLORATION AND THE FIRING TECHNOLOGY USED TO PRODUCE SUSA GLAZED CERAMICS OF THE END OF THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD*

Ancient decorated potteries from Susa (Mesopotamia) dating from 4200 to 3700 bc , were studied in order to determine the origin and the nature of the raw materials used, and to identify the technological processes applied to make the ceramic bodies and their decorations. Bulk compositions were determined by particle induced X‐ray emission (PIXE), while the microstructure and the mineralogical phases were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analyses (EDX) and X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the raw materials used to elaborate these potteries were similar for all the ceramic bodies (carbonates and iron and magnesium‐rich clays containing sand), and for all the decorations (iron oxides, silica, potassic and alumina sources). The variations of coloration of the ceramics and of their decorations were due to different firing temperatures. The ranges of firing temperatures used by potters were evaluated on the basis of mineral stability domains.     

Local recipes or distant commodities? Lead isotope and chemical compositional analysis of glaze paints from the Salinas pueblos,New Mexico

For nearly four hundred years, Pueblo potters in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico produced technologically innovative glaze-decorated bowls and exchanged them widely among different villages. While potential sources of lead ores used to make glaze paints are found throughout the Rio Grande Valley region, researchers have only recently begun to identify which ore sources potters exploited and to understand the social and economic factors underlying patterns of ore resource use. In this paper we use stable lead isotope and electron microprobe analysis of glaze paints on Rio Grande Glaze Ware made at two Salinas pueblos to identify ore sources and glaze recipes used by their potters. Despite some isotopic overlap of ore sources, the lead isotope data point to regular exploitation of ores from the Socorro area of the southern Rio Grande. Salinas potters apparently used other sources as well, and likely mixed ores from different sources. We also identify four local glaze recipes that appear to incorporate multiple ore sources, suggesting that Salinas potters obtained raw ores rather than finished glaze paints.     

Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Site Patterning on the Middle Gila River,Arizona

Abstract

Archaeological surveys and prehistoric settlement patterns are best interpreted when placed on a geomorphic map that defines the distribution and age of physical landforms. Survey data can thus be used to address questions of archaeological site visibility and synchronic and diachronic site patterning on the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona. A chronological series of alluvial and eolian landforms are defined on the reservation. The age of the landforms and underlying sediments has affected the preservation and visibility of the archaeological record. Further, late prehistoric Hohokam settlements (A.D. 700–1500) and their associated agricultural lands show a clear landform zonation and that the intensity of use of these landforms has changed over time.     

Ceramic production and provenience at Gordion, Central Anatolia

Phrygian Gordion was the political center of an influential Iron Age polity that extended across west central Anatolia during the first half of the 1st millennium BC. Though the borders of this polity remain vague a characteristic of the Phrygian “footprint” is the distribution of highly distinctive ceramics. The extent to which Gordion potters were the originators of these wares remains uncertain. In this paper we use Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) to establish the local signature of predominantly Iron Age ceramics for this site by combining samples from several decades of excavation with an extensive regional sediment sequence. We also compare previous NAA work at Gordion to suggest that the formative stages of the Phrygian state appears to have involved a more extensive network of non-local specialist producers than previously thought.     

Pottery production on Rishiri Island,Japan: perspectives from X‐ray fluorescence studies

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to determine the minor and trace element composition of 54 sherds of pottery dating from the Final Jomon to Okhotsk periods. The majority of the sherds came from Rishiri Island, Japan. Principal component (PC) scores were calculated using the log transformed concentration values, and groups were sought in the PC scores using kernel density estimates (KDEs). Two main groups were found in the data; linear and quadratic discriminant analysis classified both groups successfully. Significant differences in the concentrations of Cu, Fe, K, Nb, Pb, Rb, Th and Zr were found to exist between the two groups. The lack of correspondence between chronological ware types and geochemical groups implies that the same raw materials and paste recipes were in use during the Epi‐Jomon and Okhotsk eras on Rishiri Island. One possiblity is that the Epi‐Jomon and Okhotsk potters used the same clays and tempers, since no other alternatives were available. Alternatively, the Okhotsk potters could have adopted the same paste recipes as the Epi‐Jomon potters, or the Okhotsk pottery tradition could be descended from the Epi‐Jomon pottery tradition.     

A COMPARATIVE ELECTRON MICROPROBE STUDY OF LERNA III AND IV CERAMICS AND LOCAL CLAY-RICH SEDIMENTS*

This study uses electron microprobe analysis of ceramic artefacts and local day-rich sediments and lithics to help address questions concerning the nature of the cultural change implied by ceramics from Lerna III and IV. It redresses the previous lack of a comparative collection of clay-rich sediments that adequately represents the local variation in clay and temper for the area surrounding Lerna. The resulting comparisons indicate that although they produced stylistically different ceramics, potters from both Lenta phases acquired their clays from the local Lerna area.     

Identifying pottery clay from rice fields: an example from southern Luzon,the Philippines

The general type of clay used by potters can often be identified from attributes of the finished ceramic vessel or sherd. This information is important for compositional and sourcing studies and may also shed light on the variables influencing clay choice such as social, economic, and landscape use patterns. Rice paddies are one type of clay source that are readily identifiable in archaeological ceramics. This paper describes rice paddy clays gathered during ethnoarchaeological studies of traditional potters in Paradijon, southern Luzon, the Philippines. We analyze the effects of clay processing and vessel manufacture on these clays and find that the most diagnostic attribute of paddy soils, the iron oxide mottling, is retained in finished vessels.