Analysis of Surface Treatments on Weeden Island Red Vessels via LA-ICP-MS

Summary

One of hallmarks of Late Woodland period Weeden Island in Florida is the proliferation of ornate ceramics associated with ceremonial contexts. Recent elemental and petrographic analyses of Weeden Island ceramic pastes have established that despite visible standardization, these wares were traveling significant distances from large production centers, but also being made locally. This widespread movement of people and pots across the landscape provides a valuable context for exploring the spread of specialized technological knowledge. To better understand the production of these wares, we focused on the applied red surface on Weeden Island Red vessels, which previous analyses identified as among the most likely Weeden Island ceramics to have been locally made. In particular, we sought to define the recipe for this surface treatment, whether iron-rich ore or clay, and to identify the degree of recipe standardization across the ware type as reflection of shared production knowledge. LA-ICP-MS was used to independently analyze the elemental composition of the red surfaces of these vessels, complemented by NAA and petrographic analyses of paste composition. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21249