Ceramics, Identity and Regional Interaction in the Lower Amazon

The lower Amazon region has a diverse and complex precolonial history, with a number of cultures being identified by archaeological research mainly through study of different ceramic complexes. Some of them are among the oldest ceramics in the Americas, while others have emerged just before the European conquest. Some styles developed out of large and complex chiefdoms, such as Marajó and Santarém, while others are related to small, local settlements. Given these scenarios, recent research has been struggling to both understand the enormous diversity of ceramic styles and to differentiate local from regional and/or pan-Amazonian traits; ephemerous from persistent styles; and hybrid and flexible repertoires as both the result of and a vector for different types of interaction spheres (such as exchange networks, ethnic and political alignments, war alliances, competition for managed territories, migrations, etc.). This session will explore both technological and symbolic aspects of ceramic production, use and discard to advance understanding of the role of ceramics in identity building and regional interaction dynamics.