Mary Ownby chaired a symposium at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Albuquerque, NM, in April 2019. The session was titled "Cross-cultural petrographic studies of ceramic traditions" and included the 12 papers listed below.
Examining Sources of Glazed Ceramics in Mesopotamia in Late Antiquity
David Hill, Jan Petrík, Karel Novácek and Ali Ismail Al-Juboury
Estimation of provenance in fine ceramics is a challenging task. Documenting the trade in glazed Sassanian and
Islamic ceramics into southeast Asia and China has driven an interest in identifying the sources of these ceramics.
We have defined three hypothetical provenance groups 1) Greater and Lesser Zab catchment (Arbil area), 2) Tigris,
3) Middle and lower course (Baghdad and/or Basra). Based on comparison of ceramic fabrics with regional geology,
reference soil samples, LA-ICP-MS, INAA, and petrography of Mesopotamian glaze-decorated ceramics These
provenance groups express possible areas where glazed-decorated ceramics were produced. Compositional
difference in the ceramic pastes provide evidence for localized production of glazed ceramics and their circulation
across Mesopotamia.
Petrographic Perspectives on Ceramic Technology and Provenance in Northern Botswana
David Killick and Edwin Wilmsen
Over the last 45 years, Wilmsen, James Denbow, and others have recovered ceramics from nearly thirty excavated
sites, in the northern half of Botswana. Together with Phenyo Thebe and Ann Griffiths, Wilmsen has also sampled
clays and sands throughout the region, has obtained samples of raw materials, and prepared pastes and pots from
multiple village potters. To date, Killick has made qualitative petrographic descriptions of more than 700 thin sections
samples from these materials. This brief presentation provides a selection of our findings. We document
some unusual choices of temper (charcoal, bone) and of clay, including a distinct preference in parts of eastern
Botswana for preparing pastes directly from weathered granites. Many prehistoric pots in northwestern Botswana
were clearly made from clays obtained from the inland Okavango Delta, as they contain spicules from freshwater
sponges and/or plant phytoliths. We can also show that some pots were transported for at least 600km. Some of
these appear to relate to the southward migration of pastoralists into northwestern Botswana around 200 CE; there
was a second migration into this region around 700 CE, this time of metal-using agropastoralists with very different
ceramics.
Pre-Columbian Pottery Production in Greater Nicoya: A Cross-Regional Analysis
Lorelei Platz and Carrie Dennett
Spanning northwest Costa Rica and the Isthmus of Rivas in Pacific Nicaragua, the Greater Nicoya archaeological region
has been historically interpreted as a cohesive language and culture area (‘primordially’ Chibchan but shifting to
Mesoamerican post-AD 800). Since the 1980s, however, researchers have begun to increasingly challenge this longpresumed
‘cultural cohesion.’ Ongoing analytical reconstruction and refinement of pre-Columbian ceramic economy in
Greater Nicoya continues to validate this challenge, suggesting instead that Pacific Nicaraguan potters participated in a
sphere of cultural practices and traditions distinct from potting communities in neighbouring Costa Rica. Through the lens of
ceramic petrography, we seek to demonstrate the different sociocultural attitudes and normative strategies related to
resource procurement, paste preparation techniques, technological innovation, and the transmission of technology and
tradition across time and space. Two temporally distinct case studies are reviewed that highlight cross-regional differences
in Greater Nicoya including the import, manufacture, distribution and consumption of Usulután-style negative resist wares
from approximately AD 1 to 500 and later white-slipped ‘Nicoya Polychrome’ styles from roughly AD 800-1300. These case
studies show the power of ceramic petrography to refine complementary analytical techniques (INAA), articulate pre-
Columbian potting practices, and inform archaeologists on socioculturally charged aspects of the broader ceramic economy.
Tracking 1,600 Years of Ceramic Technology at Prehispanic Jecosh (Ancash, Peru)
Elizabeth Grávalos and Isabelle Druc
How do ebbs and flows in regional trade relations affect village level practices of pottery production? We assess this
question by tracking variability and continuity in ceramic technological traditions at the site of Jecosh, located in the
Callejón de Huaylas of Ancash, Peru. Recent excavations of domestic and mortuary structures at Jecosh revealed a
continual site occupation, beginning with the Huarás cultural tradition (~100BCE-200CE) and enduring through the
Inka occupation of the valley (1450-1534CE). Jecosh’s residents had access to a diverse ceramic assemblage
throughout this time, including Recuay kaolin finewares, and later, coarse Aquilpo styles. Easily accessible clay
sources and tempering materials near Jecosh, as well as possible ceramic production tools recovered from
excavations, suggest that locals likely produced much of their pottery. Here we present the results of a sample of
petrographic thin-sections (n=97) of 46 paste groups. We examine their technological differences, compare their
composition with local geological samples, and situate findings within regional politico-economic trends. This
preliminary study will yield insights into shifting potting traditions at Jecosh. Further, as the first petrographic study of
Huarás and Recuay pottery, we will expand scholarly understandings of these iconic prehispanic styles and the
people who produced and used them.
Who Attended Their Funerals? A Petrographic Comparison of Pottery from the Majiayao Culture of Neolithic China
Andrew Womack
In northwestern China’s Gansu Province, painted pottery from the late Neolithic Majiayao Culture has long been admired for
its skillful construction and beautiful painted motifs. Since the majority of whole vessels have been recovered from graves, it
has generally been assumed that these items were produced primarily for mortuary purposes, including for displaying
wealth or projecting the political or religious power of the deceased. This paper reassesses these claims in light of a
petrographic analysis of sherds from nearby mortuary and habitation contexts. By examining the production processes
embedded in these items, including producer choices in paste recipes and raw material selection, as well as surface
treatment, I suggest that vessels from mortuary contexts are not simply displaying wealth or power. Instead, they likely
reflect diverse communities of producers and consumers who were directly participating in funerary events. These results
highlight the importance of examining production choices alongside vessel style and context when interpreting the role of
pottery in mortuary settings.
Provenance Analysis of Tempering Materials using Quantitative Petrography in the Formative Basin of Mexico
Wesley Stoner
Ceramics sourcing studies in the Basin of Mexico suffer from the interior drainage problem. Sediment erodes from the
mountains and mixes as it drains inward toward the lake at the center. Material composition, and the ceramics made from
them, grades subtly over space as a result, making provenance analysis difficult. In a prior study, I used semi-quantitative
analysis and a multitechnique approach to determine that, the aplastic fraction of Formative period pottery accounts for
more geographically patterned compositional variability than the clay fraction (Stoner 2016). The hypothesis that drives the
current research is that systematic point counting to derive a quantitative characterization of mineral assemblages on a
scale from felsic to mafic composition will enable a clearer comparison to the natural geological variation within the region. I
combine the petrographic data with chemical results from neutron activation analysis and laser ablation inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry to improve sourcing studies of pottery in the region and to add to the tools that ceramic analysts
employ for characterizing ancient materials.
The Struggle within: Effects of Spanish Colonization on Pueblo Pottery Technology Revealed through Petrographic Analysis
Suzanne Eckert and Deborah Huntley
There is no doubt that Spanish contact and colonization, dramatically changed certain aspects of Pueblo life, among
the Ancestral Piro of south central New Mexico. In the context of Pueblo history, examining ceramic technology
provides a means of recognizing cultural continuity and transformation on the social landscape and of
acknowledging the role indigenous agency played in determining the topography of that landscape both prior to and
after Spanish contact. In this study, we examine both decorated and undecorated wares for evidence of adopting
expedient ceramic technology over time among potters living in the Rio Abajo region. We rely on previous research
among pottery producing foragers, as well as on studies of historic expediency, to identify the variables most likely to
inform on whether or not expedient ceramic technology was used at some point during the Colonial period. We
couch our interpretations within a framework of agency and practice to discuss the active role of material culture in
potters’ daily attempts to negotiate their place within a changing cultural landscape.
Memes of Hohokam Pottery: The Spread of Ceramic Traditions from the Middle Gila River, Arizona
Andrew Lack and Mary Ownby
The idea of memes, as coined by Dawkins, originally referred to an element of a culture or behavior that is passed from one
individual to another by nongenetic means. It was used to examine how cultural phenomenon replicate, mutate, survive, or
become extinct. This has clear applications to ceramic traditions where the cultural behavior is passed from one generation
to the next with some changes but also the preservation of specific traits. Using this theoretical framework, without the
biological aspects, research analyzes the conditions that allowed particular memes to continue, change, or be rejected.
To illustrate how the concept may be utilized, in combination with ceramic petrography, Hohokam pottery from the greater
Phoenix area of Arizona is examined. From earliest times, ceramics made in the middle Gila River valley used readily
available micaceous rock temper. Recent examination of pottery from several outlying sites to this core area, indicates a
continuing preference for micaceous material over easily accessible volcanic sands for temper. Such a trend indicates, the
meme of pottery making with micaceous raw materials continued long-term in the middle Gila area and was spread to other
adjacent pottery making groups with ties to the Phoenix area Hohokam.
Chaîne Opératoires and Technical Identity in Aguada Portezuelo Pottery: An Approach through Ceramic Petrography (Catamarca, Argentina)
Guillermo De La Fuente
The Aguada Portezuelo ceramic style (ca. AD 600 – AD 900) from Northwestern Argentine region, presents a highly
stylistic variation and complexity in the forming techniques used by ancient potters, concerning surface treatments
and the decoration applied to ceramic vessels. One of the most important features in these ceramics, is its highly
marked polychromy. Here, we present the results obtained through an extensive ceramic petrography study of
surveyed materials from La Viñita archaeological site (Dept. Capital, Catamarca, Argentine). Special attention is paid
to the reconstruction of the chaines operatoires involved in the elaboration process (ceramic pastes, primary and
secondary forming techniques, firing temperatures) of this pottery. Additionally, we explore the concept of technical
identity and its relationship to the different technical gestures and technical actions performed by ancient potters.
From Technological Style to Communities of Practice: Defining Yavi-Chicha Sociotechnical Systems in the Río Grande de San Juan Basin (Border of Bolivia and Argentina) during the Period of Regional Developments (ca. AD 900-1450)
Ester Echenique, Florencia Avila and William Gilstrap
Despite the Yavi-Chicha phenomenon being widely discussed in the Southern Andes, there is a lack of systematic
research around the socioeconomic and political implications of production and circulation of the pottery of the Río
Grande de San Juan Basin (Chicha Region). From the study of ceramic production and circulation, this paper seeks
to contribute to the knowledge of the social dynamics, and, particularly, of the political economy in the Chicha
Region during the Period of Regional Developments. We use the concept of technological style, as the main
analytical axis, which is defined through the analyses of ceramic operational chains. This study uses a combined
approach of macroscopic analyses with petrographic and elemental analysis by INAA and SEM. For this purpose,
we have analyzed ceramic assemblages from two representative sites from the Chicha Region. Results suggest
that, (1) the site of Chipihuayco was a ceramic production town, supplying ceramics to the town of Finispatria; (2)
potters from Chipihuayco organized under one community of practice; (3) people from both sites participated in one
or more regional networks; and (4) decentralized polities organized ceramic production and circulation practices.
Petrographic Analysis of Pre-Columbian Pottery From Nevis, Eastern Caribbean
John Lawrence, Scott Fitzpatrick and Christina Giovas
Prehistoric Amerindians in the Eastern Caribbean often used local materials in the manufacturing of ceramics, and in some
cases, transported these as they migrated. Given the ubiquity of ceramics in the Caribbean, they are useful in discerning
past movements, and spheres of interaction. However, studies of this nature are scarce in the region. In this paper, we have
conducted an exploratory study of pottery from the island of Nevis (northern Lesser Antilles), in a continuation of efforts to
understand and define ceramic production, distribution, and use. The Dickenson method of petrography, initially used in
Oceania, was implemented on 20 non-diagnostic Late Ceramic Age potsherds from the site of Coconut Walk. These, along
with 11 modern sands, were collected and petrographically described. Descriptions focused on sand and matrix
characteristics such as composition, size, sorting, and angularity. From descriptions, sherds were categorized into
compositional temper groups: group 1(Felsitic) and group 2(Volcanic). Sands were also described and organized into
temper groups. Representatives of each temper group, both sherds and sands, were then selected for point-count analysis
using the Gazzi-Dickinson method. Results indicate that temper groups match both local geologic description and local
modern sands, suggesting a local provenience for pottery production.
Pots with Purpose: Examining Mortuary Craft Specialization on the Late Woodland Gulf Coast
C. Trevor Duke, Neill Wallis and Ann S. Cordell
Extant models of craft specialization often assume that craft production served to instantiate or reify existing social
relationships. By this line of reasoning, pots must have played only a passive role at communal gatherings and
mortuary rituals. If pots were merely the accoutrements of specialists, the symbols of lineages, or status markers,
pots in and of themselves could not have generated social change. However, archaeologists might reach different
conclusions about these relationships by viewing pottery production and exchange as part of a broader suite of
efficacious technologies (sensu Warnier 2009), which had enduring effects in people’s lives. Pots do much more
than signify inclusion or membership into lineages and social units; they can also facilitate new types of social
interaction in the context of specific events and ceremonies, such as mortuary rituals. Pots themselves then
potentially place humans within novel circumstances. We support this position by presenting technological,
petrographic, and chemical (NAA) data of mortuary pottery from Late Woodland (AD 600-1000) sites across the
Florida Gulf Coast. We use these data to suggest that the types of relationships which emerged between specific
activities, pots, and people during this timeframe prompted labor reorganization and craft specialization in the region.
Examining Sources of Glazed Ceramics in Mesopotamia in Late Antiquity
David Hill, Jan Petrík, Karel Novácek and Ali Ismail Al-Juboury
Estimation of provenance in fine ceramics is a challenging task. Documenting the trade in glazed Sassanian and
Islamic ceramics into southeast Asia and China has driven an interest in identifying the sources of these ceramics.
We have defined three hypothetical provenance groups 1) Greater and Lesser Zab catchment (Arbil area), 2) Tigris,
3) Middle and lower course (Baghdad and/or Basra). Based on comparison of ceramic fabrics with regional geology,
reference soil samples, LA-ICP-MS, INAA, and petrography of Mesopotamian glaze-decorated ceramics These
provenance groups express possible areas where glazed-decorated ceramics were produced. Compositional
difference in the ceramic pastes provide evidence for localized production of glazed ceramics and their circulation
across Mesopotamia.
Petrographic Perspectives on Ceramic Technology and Provenance in Northern Botswana
David Killick and Edwin Wilmsen
Over the last 45 years, Wilmsen, James Denbow, and others have recovered ceramics from nearly thirty excavated
sites, in the northern half of Botswana. Together with Phenyo Thebe and Ann Griffiths, Wilmsen has also sampled
clays and sands throughout the region, has obtained samples of raw materials, and prepared pastes and pots from
multiple village potters. To date, Killick has made qualitative petrographic descriptions of more than 700 thin sections
samples from these materials. This brief presentation provides a selection of our findings. We document
some unusual choices of temper (charcoal, bone) and of clay, including a distinct preference in parts of eastern
Botswana for preparing pastes directly from weathered granites. Many prehistoric pots in northwestern Botswana
were clearly made from clays obtained from the inland Okavango Delta, as they contain spicules from freshwater
sponges and/or plant phytoliths. We can also show that some pots were transported for at least 600km. Some of
these appear to relate to the southward migration of pastoralists into northwestern Botswana around 200 CE; there
was a second migration into this region around 700 CE, this time of metal-using agropastoralists with very different
ceramics.
Pre-Columbian Pottery Production in Greater Nicoya: A Cross-Regional Analysis
Lorelei Platz and Carrie Dennett
Spanning northwest Costa Rica and the Isthmus of Rivas in Pacific Nicaragua, the Greater Nicoya archaeological region
has been historically interpreted as a cohesive language and culture area (‘primordially’ Chibchan but shifting to
Mesoamerican post-AD 800). Since the 1980s, however, researchers have begun to increasingly challenge this longpresumed
‘cultural cohesion.’ Ongoing analytical reconstruction and refinement of pre-Columbian ceramic economy in
Greater Nicoya continues to validate this challenge, suggesting instead that Pacific Nicaraguan potters participated in a
sphere of cultural practices and traditions distinct from potting communities in neighbouring Costa Rica. Through the lens of
ceramic petrography, we seek to demonstrate the different sociocultural attitudes and normative strategies related to
resource procurement, paste preparation techniques, technological innovation, and the transmission of technology and
tradition across time and space. Two temporally distinct case studies are reviewed that highlight cross-regional differences
in Greater Nicoya including the import, manufacture, distribution and consumption of Usulután-style negative resist wares
from approximately AD 1 to 500 and later white-slipped ‘Nicoya Polychrome’ styles from roughly AD 800-1300. These case
studies show the power of ceramic petrography to refine complementary analytical techniques (INAA), articulate pre-
Columbian potting practices, and inform archaeologists on socioculturally charged aspects of the broader ceramic economy.
Tracking 1,600 Years of Ceramic Technology at Prehispanic Jecosh (Ancash, Peru)
Elizabeth Grávalos and Isabelle Druc
How do ebbs and flows in regional trade relations affect village level practices of pottery production? We assess this
question by tracking variability and continuity in ceramic technological traditions at the site of Jecosh, located in the
Callejón de Huaylas of Ancash, Peru. Recent excavations of domestic and mortuary structures at Jecosh revealed a
continual site occupation, beginning with the Huarás cultural tradition (~100BCE-200CE) and enduring through the
Inka occupation of the valley (1450-1534CE). Jecosh’s residents had access to a diverse ceramic assemblage
throughout this time, including Recuay kaolin finewares, and later, coarse Aquilpo styles. Easily accessible clay
sources and tempering materials near Jecosh, as well as possible ceramic production tools recovered from
excavations, suggest that locals likely produced much of their pottery. Here we present the results of a sample of
petrographic thin-sections (n=97) of 46 paste groups. We examine their technological differences, compare their
composition with local geological samples, and situate findings within regional politico-economic trends. This
preliminary study will yield insights into shifting potting traditions at Jecosh. Further, as the first petrographic study of
Huarás and Recuay pottery, we will expand scholarly understandings of these iconic prehispanic styles and the
people who produced and used them.
Who Attended Their Funerals? A Petrographic Comparison of Pottery from the Majiayao Culture of Neolithic China
Andrew Womack
In northwestern China’s Gansu Province, painted pottery from the late Neolithic Majiayao Culture has long been admired for
its skillful construction and beautiful painted motifs. Since the majority of whole vessels have been recovered from graves, it
has generally been assumed that these items were produced primarily for mortuary purposes, including for displaying
wealth or projecting the political or religious power of the deceased. This paper reassesses these claims in light of a
petrographic analysis of sherds from nearby mortuary and habitation contexts. By examining the production processes
embedded in these items, including producer choices in paste recipes and raw material selection, as well as surface
treatment, I suggest that vessels from mortuary contexts are not simply displaying wealth or power. Instead, they likely
reflect diverse communities of producers and consumers who were directly participating in funerary events. These results
highlight the importance of examining production choices alongside vessel style and context when interpreting the role of
pottery in mortuary settings.
Provenance Analysis of Tempering Materials using Quantitative Petrography in the Formative Basin of Mexico
Wesley Stoner
Ceramics sourcing studies in the Basin of Mexico suffer from the interior drainage problem. Sediment erodes from the
mountains and mixes as it drains inward toward the lake at the center. Material composition, and the ceramics made from
them, grades subtly over space as a result, making provenance analysis difficult. In a prior study, I used semi-quantitative
analysis and a multitechnique approach to determine that, the aplastic fraction of Formative period pottery accounts for
more geographically patterned compositional variability than the clay fraction (Stoner 2016). The hypothesis that drives the
current research is that systematic point counting to derive a quantitative characterization of mineral assemblages on a
scale from felsic to mafic composition will enable a clearer comparison to the natural geological variation within the region. I
combine the petrographic data with chemical results from neutron activation analysis and laser ablation inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry to improve sourcing studies of pottery in the region and to add to the tools that ceramic analysts
employ for characterizing ancient materials.
The Struggle within: Effects of Spanish Colonization on Pueblo Pottery Technology Revealed through Petrographic Analysis
Suzanne Eckert and Deborah Huntley
There is no doubt that Spanish contact and colonization, dramatically changed certain aspects of Pueblo life, among
the Ancestral Piro of south central New Mexico. In the context of Pueblo history, examining ceramic technology
provides a means of recognizing cultural continuity and transformation on the social landscape and of
acknowledging the role indigenous agency played in determining the topography of that landscape both prior to and
after Spanish contact. In this study, we examine both decorated and undecorated wares for evidence of adopting
expedient ceramic technology over time among potters living in the Rio Abajo region. We rely on previous research
among pottery producing foragers, as well as on studies of historic expediency, to identify the variables most likely to
inform on whether or not expedient ceramic technology was used at some point during the Colonial period. We
couch our interpretations within a framework of agency and practice to discuss the active role of material culture in
potters’ daily attempts to negotiate their place within a changing cultural landscape.
Memes of Hohokam Pottery: The Spread of Ceramic Traditions from the Middle Gila River, Arizona
Andrew Lack and Mary Ownby
The idea of memes, as coined by Dawkins, originally referred to an element of a culture or behavior that is passed from one
individual to another by nongenetic means. It was used to examine how cultural phenomenon replicate, mutate, survive, or
become extinct. This has clear applications to ceramic traditions where the cultural behavior is passed from one generation
to the next with some changes but also the preservation of specific traits. Using this theoretical framework, without the
biological aspects, research analyzes the conditions that allowed particular memes to continue, change, or be rejected.
To illustrate how the concept may be utilized, in combination with ceramic petrography, Hohokam pottery from the greater
Phoenix area of Arizona is examined. From earliest times, ceramics made in the middle Gila River valley used readily
available micaceous rock temper. Recent examination of pottery from several outlying sites to this core area, indicates a
continuing preference for micaceous material over easily accessible volcanic sands for temper. Such a trend indicates, the
meme of pottery making with micaceous raw materials continued long-term in the middle Gila area and was spread to other
adjacent pottery making groups with ties to the Phoenix area Hohokam.
Chaîne Opératoires and Technical Identity in Aguada Portezuelo Pottery: An Approach through Ceramic Petrography (Catamarca, Argentina)
Guillermo De La Fuente
The Aguada Portezuelo ceramic style (ca. AD 600 – AD 900) from Northwestern Argentine region, presents a highly
stylistic variation and complexity in the forming techniques used by ancient potters, concerning surface treatments
and the decoration applied to ceramic vessels. One of the most important features in these ceramics, is its highly
marked polychromy. Here, we present the results obtained through an extensive ceramic petrography study of
surveyed materials from La Viñita archaeological site (Dept. Capital, Catamarca, Argentine). Special attention is paid
to the reconstruction of the chaines operatoires involved in the elaboration process (ceramic pastes, primary and
secondary forming techniques, firing temperatures) of this pottery. Additionally, we explore the concept of technical
identity and its relationship to the different technical gestures and technical actions performed by ancient potters.
From Technological Style to Communities of Practice: Defining Yavi-Chicha Sociotechnical Systems in the Río Grande de San Juan Basin (Border of Bolivia and Argentina) during the Period of Regional Developments (ca. AD 900-1450)
Ester Echenique, Florencia Avila and William Gilstrap
Despite the Yavi-Chicha phenomenon being widely discussed in the Southern Andes, there is a lack of systematic
research around the socioeconomic and political implications of production and circulation of the pottery of the Río
Grande de San Juan Basin (Chicha Region). From the study of ceramic production and circulation, this paper seeks
to contribute to the knowledge of the social dynamics, and, particularly, of the political economy in the Chicha
Region during the Period of Regional Developments. We use the concept of technological style, as the main
analytical axis, which is defined through the analyses of ceramic operational chains. This study uses a combined
approach of macroscopic analyses with petrographic and elemental analysis by INAA and SEM. For this purpose,
we have analyzed ceramic assemblages from two representative sites from the Chicha Region. Results suggest
that, (1) the site of Chipihuayco was a ceramic production town, supplying ceramics to the town of Finispatria; (2)
potters from Chipihuayco organized under one community of practice; (3) people from both sites participated in one
or more regional networks; and (4) decentralized polities organized ceramic production and circulation practices.
Petrographic Analysis of Pre-Columbian Pottery From Nevis, Eastern Caribbean
John Lawrence, Scott Fitzpatrick and Christina Giovas
Prehistoric Amerindians in the Eastern Caribbean often used local materials in the manufacturing of ceramics, and in some
cases, transported these as they migrated. Given the ubiquity of ceramics in the Caribbean, they are useful in discerning
past movements, and spheres of interaction. However, studies of this nature are scarce in the region. In this paper, we have
conducted an exploratory study of pottery from the island of Nevis (northern Lesser Antilles), in a continuation of efforts to
understand and define ceramic production, distribution, and use. The Dickenson method of petrography, initially used in
Oceania, was implemented on 20 non-diagnostic Late Ceramic Age potsherds from the site of Coconut Walk. These, along
with 11 modern sands, were collected and petrographically described. Descriptions focused on sand and matrix
characteristics such as composition, size, sorting, and angularity. From descriptions, sherds were categorized into
compositional temper groups: group 1(Felsitic) and group 2(Volcanic). Sands were also described and organized into
temper groups. Representatives of each temper group, both sherds and sands, were then selected for point-count analysis
using the Gazzi-Dickinson method. Results indicate that temper groups match both local geologic description and local
modern sands, suggesting a local provenience for pottery production.
Pots with Purpose: Examining Mortuary Craft Specialization on the Late Woodland Gulf Coast
C. Trevor Duke, Neill Wallis and Ann S. Cordell
Extant models of craft specialization often assume that craft production served to instantiate or reify existing social
relationships. By this line of reasoning, pots must have played only a passive role at communal gatherings and
mortuary rituals. If pots were merely the accoutrements of specialists, the symbols of lineages, or status markers,
pots in and of themselves could not have generated social change. However, archaeologists might reach different
conclusions about these relationships by viewing pottery production and exchange as part of a broader suite of
efficacious technologies (sensu Warnier 2009), which had enduring effects in people’s lives. Pots do much more
than signify inclusion or membership into lineages and social units; they can also facilitate new types of social
interaction in the context of specific events and ceremonies, such as mortuary rituals. Pots themselves then
potentially place humans within novel circumstances. We support this position by presenting technological,
petrographic, and chemical (NAA) data of mortuary pottery from Late Woodland (AD 600-1000) sites across the
Florida Gulf Coast. We use these data to suggest that the types of relationships which emerged between specific
activities, pots, and people during this timeframe prompted labor reorganization and craft specialization in the region.