A Database of Neutron Activation Analysis Characterizing Indigenous Ceramics from South America

Summary

The earliest ceramics in South America were made by the indigenous peoples at least 7500 years BP. Ceramics were used for a variety of purposes, including cooking and storage vessels, funerary urns, toys, ceremonial items, sculptures and other art forms. Over the past 25 years, the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor has performed neutron activation analysis on more than 7,000 ceramics and clays from locations throughout South America to establish a comprehensive geochemical and descriptive database. The ceramics database has facilitated a wide range of investigations concerning both local production and exchange over long distances. This poster will describe the database and provide an overview of recent research along with suggestions for future research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Ceramics of the Indigenous Cultures in South America: Studies of Production and Exchange using INAA

Keywords

Spatial Coverage