Fine-Scale Investigation of Changes in the Ceramic Production Using Sherd Temper in the Mt. Trumbull Area of the Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument, Arizona

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study is a part of an investigation into the adaptation patterns among the small-scale farmers who lived in a very marginal environment in the American Southwest. The examination of the changes in the ceramic production and distribution in the Mt. Trumbull and adjacent areas was conducted using LA-ICP-MS and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. This study suggested that the use of an optimal clay (i.e., a clay with a better performance) dominated the production of ceramics during the later time. This clay procurement pattern may correspond to a shift in dependence on more agriculture at a later time which may allow some individual to devote more time on the ceramic production to make more durable pottery, while some other focused on the agriculture. The temper type used for the ceramic production at Mt. Trumbull was predominately olivine as there is a source for it in this area. A closer examination suggests that some of the olivine- and sand-tempered ceramics also include sherd temper. In this paper, I would like to investigate if the changes in the use of sherd temper had any relation to the changes in the environmental conditions that may have impacted the local area’s agricultural productivity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35597.0