Imperial Public Relations: What can ceramic sciences (actually) tell us about political consolidation?

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeologists and other scholars find that, today and in the past, political entities like states and empires were diverse and sometimes short-lived. This means that the integration of diverse communities required a targeted and organized approach that served as an ancient public relations campaign for political elites. Material evidence for these public relations campaigns includes the integration of old and new symbols on pottery, architecture, and other objects. By combining past and new symbols along with ritual and labor practices, political elites tried to establish legitimacy and, ultimately, to consolidate power. While scientific ceramic data are often used to address themes like political consolidation, this paper considers what exactly ceramic data, particularly geochemical and petrographic data, can tell us about ancient public relations campaigns. Using geochemical characterization, petrographic, and other Postclassic period (AD 1000-1530) ceramic data from the Purépecha city of Angamuco in Western Mesoamerica, I explore the possibilities and limits of using such information to address questions about political consolidation. In doing so, this paper contributes to discussions of empire-building and how we combine multiple lines of scientific ceramic data in our research claims.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50804