Intra-valley Exchange before the Rise of Monte Albán – New Data from Trace-element Analyses of Rosario Phase Ceramics

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Rosario phase (ca. 700-500 BCE) in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico represents the period immediately preceding the rise of Monte Abán and the earliest stages of Zapotec state formation. Relatively little is known about intra-valley interactions during this time, beyond interpretations based on settlement pattern analyses. As part of our on-going INAA program to assess ceramic exchange in the valley, we here present provenance data on more than 1000 ceramic vessels drawn from well-dated Rosario (N=668) and Rosario/ MA Early I (N=230) contexts from sites in all three arms of the valley. Comparisons of their chemical signatures with natural clays collected throughout the valley, as well as with wasters from known ceramic production sites, have allowed us to distinguish more than twenty distinct ceramic-producing regions and to track the movement of different pottery wares within the valley. Our results indicate a much greater degree of exchange interaction than expected and have significant implications for understanding the economic and political geography of this key time period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33215