Elizabeth J. Miksa’s research while affiliated with Desert Archaeology, Inc. and other places

Iron oxides and other associated minerals (ochre) were widely used in ancient times, however, the use and procurement of these materials is not well understood and there has been little research on the elemental characterization of the material compared to other artifact classes. To assess the possibility of identifying ochre differences between locations, the original potential geological sources should be thoroughly characterized. This paper describes the collection of potential geologic sources of ochre in the Tucson basin of Arizona, sampling of those sources, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and subsequent multivariate analysis of the data. This paper has several goals, including characterizing geochemical trends within and between ochre sources, identifying the important elements in geochemical characterization of ochre, and establishing a database for further investigations. This preliminary study indicates that the inter- and intra-source variations in geological sources of ochre in the Tucson basin region can be differentiated. Future analysis of iron oxide artifacts will be performed to examine correlations between artifacts and sources and provide a basis for further deductions concerning ancient ochre procurement.

Geologists use petrographic modal analysis to relate fluvial sand composition to source rock composition, thus establishing provenance. Archaeologists seeking to establish provenance of sand temper in pottery can use similar petrographic methods, but their finer scale of investigation requires more precise statistical tools than those employed by geologists. A quantitative method for performing that task is presented. It utilizes correspondence analysis and discriminant analysis of logratio transformed point-count data to define petrofacies, or sand temper resource procurement zones. The procedure is illustrated with sand and sand-tempered sherd samples collected from the Tonto Basin, central Arizona; temporal trends in utilitarian ceramic production c. AD 100–1350 are reviewed.

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Prehistoric potters frequently tempered their pottery with sand, the provenance of which can be established petrographically. In the Tonto Basin of central Arizona, the bedrock geology is highly variable, giving rise to geographically unique sands. Zones of sands with similar compositions can be modeled at an archaeologically relevant scale. Here we use the actualistic petrofacies concept, the Gazzi-Dickinson point-counting technique, and multivariate statistics to create a petrofacies model, then apply it to sand-tempered utilitarian pottery recovered from three Tonto Basin project areas. Data analysis reveals strong temporal and spatial ceramic production and consumption patterns. Production of pottery for exchange was established in at least one petrofacies ca. A.D. 600-950, with increasing specialization through time. By ca. A.D. 1150, corrugated wares had been added, and specialized production by ware was established in two petrofacies. Provenance evidence suggests different regional affiliations for groups in different parts of the basin. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This study examines cultural sources of variation in ceramic compositional patterning in two pottery-making villages of the highland Philippines. In Dalupa, many potters are part-time specialists whereas in Dangtalan, women make pottery less frequently. Previous studies show that both pottery form and decoration correspond well with Kalinga social boundaries, but how do morphological and decorative patterning relate to compositional variability? Although researchers have made substantial advances in our understanding of natural and postdepositional sources of compositional variability, little is known about behavioral factors that affect chemical and mineralogical compositional patterning. This study examines cultural practices of clay selection and use in an ethnographic setting, and undertakes technical analyses to assess the relationship between behavior and material culture patterning. Our study identified paste differences between the clays and fired ceramics from Dangtalan and those from Dalupa. Findings from our compositional research thus parallel earlier morphological and stylistic studies, and illustrate multivariate differences in ceramics from these two Kalinga communities. This ethnoarchaeological and analytical project contributes, therefore, to understanding objective parameters within a behavioral context. It also provides an example of how a combined characterization approach, using chemical and petrographic techniques, can yield insights on intraregional variation at a finer scale of resolution than is often attempted.

The Salt River and its tributary Tonto Creek occupy a large basin between the Mazatzal and Sierra Ancha Ranges. Over 200 sediment samples were collected from the Salt River, Tonto Creek, and their tributaries in order to identify discrete modern sand composition zones. The motivation for this study was to aid identification of archeological ceramic production locations. Most prehistoric ceramic production takes place within 1 km of raw material source areas. Identification of unique sand temper sources thereby aids in locating production areas and trade routes. Sediment samples were sieved and washed so that only the sand fraction remained. Samples were mounted in epoxy, thin-sectioned, and stained for K and Ca. Thin-sections were counted to 400 points using the Gazzi-Dickinson technique. Twenty-six grain types were identified, with special care being taken to distinguish among different rock fragments. Samples were divided into 15 likely petrofacies based on geologic maps and composition. Correspondence analysis was used with each grain type considered separately to further refine the petrofacies boundaries, resulting in 20 spatially and compositionally discrete groups. Discriminant analysis was used to test the possibility of separating samples from different petrofacies. For this test, grain types were grouped into categories (i.e. all metamorphic grains, all feldspars). Discrimination among the 20 petrofacies was found to be better than 75%.