Abstract:Through a novel application of strontium (Sr) isotopic analysis, we evaluate geological sources for prehistoric ceramics in the eastern Grand Canyon region of northern Arizona, focusing on two gray-ware traditions in the Upper Basin of the Coconino Plateau. Building on a conceptual framework for the general potential of Sr isotopes in the analysis of geological materials, we suggest that the eastern Grand Canyon is specifically well suited archaeologically and geologically for: (1) exploring the utility of Sr … Show more
“…Given the tremendous variability in archaeological ceramics, from early, fibre‐tempered wares to fine porcelains, any absolutist argument that one technique ‘works best’ should be eschewed. Beyond mineralogy and chemistry, isotopic approaches to ceramic provenance might also be productively brought into the mix of complementary analytical tools (e.g., Carter et al . 2011).…”
This comment concerns an ‘absolutist’ perspective on the superiority of mineralogical analysis over chemical analysis for the determination of ceramic provenance. This point of view has appeared in the literature in recent years, but it has not been justified and is not justifiable. Mineralogy and chemistry are complementary. They measure different things and are best used in combination to generate secure, geographically specific ceramic source assignments.
“…Given the tremendous variability in archaeological ceramics, from early, fibre‐tempered wares to fine porcelains, any absolutist argument that one technique ‘works best’ should be eschewed. Beyond mineralogy and chemistry, isotopic approaches to ceramic provenance might also be productively brought into the mix of complementary analytical tools (e.g., Carter et al . 2011).…”
This comment concerns an ‘absolutist’ perspective on the superiority of mineralogical analysis over chemical analysis for the determination of ceramic provenance. This point of view has appeared in the literature in recent years, but it has not been justified and is not justifiable. Mineralogy and chemistry are complementary. They measure different things and are best used in combination to generate secure, geographically specific ceramic source assignments.
“…; Carter et al . ). Applications involving novel isotopic systems, such as tin or boron, are being tested as well (e.g., Devulder et al .…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 97%
“…Isotope analyses are widely applied in archaeometry and contribute, for example, to the study of human migration (see Bentley 2006 and references therein) and origins of artefacts (e.g., Gale and Stos-Gale 1982;Stos-Gale et al 1997;Shortland 2006;Degryse et al 2009;Carter et al 2011). Applications involving novel isotopic systems, such as tin or boron, are being tested as well (e.g., Devulder et al 2013;Haustein et al 2010).…”
The lead isotope composition of 45 sherds of six different pottery wares from the Eastern Mediterranean and dating from the Late Hellenistic -Late Roman period is analysed and compared to data obtained on ceramics and clays from the Eastern Mediterranean. These sherds were previously analysed by neutron activation and the origin and relationship between the wares has been debated in the literature. The results show that lead isotopes support earlier hypotheses proposed based on NAA or answer questions left unanswered by NAA concerning the origin and relationships between these wares. The lead isotopic data complement the NAA and the results also confirm the effectiveness of lead isotope analysis in discriminating among different wares from production centres in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“…Há poucos trabalhos sobre a geoquímica de isótopos de metais alcalinos-terrosos e terras raras para investigações sobre a proveniência de cerâmicas arqueológicas (Carter et al 2011;Guzowska et al 2003;Li et al 2005Li et al , 2006Pintér 2005 Tardio, a temperatura de queima era controlada entre de 800-1000ºC (Rice 1987).…”
Section: Iiiii Métodosunclassified
“…Foram analisados vinte e sete fragmentos encontrados ao longo de toda a estratigrafia escavada de MC e os resultados foram comparados em relação aos três períodos de ocupação do sítio, na tentativa de construir, ainda que preliminarmente, uma história dessa tecnologia sob a perspectiva dos materiais constituintes e das técnicas de manufatura dos artefatos.Dois outros fragmentos provenientes de sítios em ilhas onde ocorre a fase Bacabal foram também analisados, iniciando a contextualização dos dados isotópicos obtidos no sambaqui em relação ao cenário regional daquelas ocupações arqueológicas.Para o estudo das matérias-primas dos diferentes conjuntos cerâmicos foram escolhidas análises baseadas nos sistemas rubídio/estrôncio e samário/neodímio, uma vez que os princípios básicos da geocronologia dos isótopos desses elementos podem ser utilizados para a interpretação da composição química das cerâmicas em relação à idade geológica dos minerais constituintes das argilas. De maneira análoga ao que ocorre durante os processos de formação de rochas sedimentares, as razões isotópicas de Rb/Sr e Sm/Nd não se alteram durante a confecção ou a utilização dos artefatos cerâmicos(Carter et al 2011, Pintér 2005, nem por processos pós-deposicionais(Price e Burton 2004), o que torna essa abordagem muito útil para o estudo da proveniência dos materiais, pois agrega aos dados sobre a composição mineralógica das pastas a informação cronológica, conferindo maior precisão na identificação das matérias-primas utilizadas.…”
This work presents and discusses some characteristics of the deep indigenous history of Monte Castelo, a southwestern Amazonian shellmound site, in the light of recent research on that site and the archaeology of shellmounds throughout the region. The data obtained at Monte Castelo confirm that the oldest and most persistent ceramic assemblages in the Americas are located in shellmounds, in contexts where the construction of the landscapes has lasted for millennia, marking periods of intensification in the human occupation of the Amazon Basin. Material culture, stratigraphy and chronology are presented in order to characterize the fundamental traits relating to the origin and development of ceramic technology and landscape management in the lowlands of South America. Human intervention in the landscape has long propitiated the reoccupation of many of the earliest known archaeological sites. Parallel to this, several paleoenvironmental markers in the southern Amazon have evidenced variations in the climate that accompany human occupations since, at least, the Early Holocene. In the Guaporé river basin, the chronology of the sites seems to accompany trends of increased water availability and forest expansion, in a period marked by the emergence of more numerous communities and complex artifacts throughout the Middle Holocene. There, the feedback between human interventions and climate change has created a privileged place for settlements, whose striking relative continuity has given rise to some of the most important cultural and landscape changes that have spread widely throughout the Amazon and beyond for thousands of years. Seeking to bring the notion of meaningful places to the archaeology of the Amazonian shellmounds, this work proposes a way to understand them through an inclusive notion of ancestry that may be useful for contemporary indigenous peoples to recover their traditional territories.
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