Understanding Pottery Production at El Campanario (Huarmey-Peru) through Ceramic Paste Analysis and pXRF

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Scaling Potting Networks: Recent Contributions from Ceramic Petrography " session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The present research focuses on the strategies in the procurement of raw material used in the production of pottery at the El Campanario site during the beginning of the Late Intermediate period (AD 1150–1280). The manufacture of pottery occurred within the domestic areas at this site and while domestic pottery was recovered during excavation, there was also evidence of ceramics containing press-molded, incise, and painted decoration. This research combine ceramic paste analysis as well as elemental compositional analysis (pXRF) in order to observed the potters’ technological choices in the production of pottery. Paste analysis conducted on pottery sherds discovered at El Campanario shows high variability in paste composition, suggesting that potters obtained raw materials from various sources. The geological information of the valley suggests that various sources were used in the procurement of temper for the manufacture of pottery. The selection of geological areas can be interpreted as varying technological traditions, which were learned within the household or community. The sharing of knowledge and experiences occurred within the social group and was then transmitted through generations. In addition, compositional analysis was also conducted on pottery sherds, which shows similarities in elemental composition of the clay in almost the pottery analyzed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Scaling Potting Networks: Recent Contributions from Ceramic Petrography   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33062