Kilns, Chiefs, and Trade: Precolonial Tradeware from the Philippines and Fujian examined through LA-ICP-MS

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Before the expansion of European interests into East Asia, a maritime network was established between imperial powers and Southeast Asian polities that connected artisans, merchants, chiefs, farmers, foragers, and others. This Early Historic period was a time of important developments that set the stage for later exchange systems. Given the size and complexity of this system, a scalar approach that examines local, regional, and interregional systems, can help to explain the process involved. This presentation will consider both production and distribution by examining polities in the Philippines and Kiln locations in Fujian, China through the comparison of tradeware chemical signatures obtained through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS). Contrasting how tradeware vessels were obtained, distributed, and used within and between three Philippine polities (Manila, Cebu, and Tanjay) will highlight the different political structures and means by which individuals could have engaged with the system. Secondly, this research will examine the differentiation and overlap of kiln sites from southern China (Dehua, Lulin, Gou Tou Shan, and Zhangzhou wares). This research highlights the potential of a chemical approach and produces results which show the interaction of local kilns and polities within a larger regional and interregional framework.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24850