This dissertation takes a technological approach to ceramic production and provides a fine-grained view of the circum-Caribbean region. It discusses the usefulness of the chaîne opératoire... Show moreThis dissertation takes a technological approach to ceramic production and provides a fine-grained view of the circum-Caribbean region. It discusses the usefulness of the chaîne opératoire methodology, together with the community of practice theory, as models to potentially explore questions related to the boundedness and cultural relations of peoples during the precolonial, colonial and postcolonial periods. Each chapter tackles diverse aspects of the manufacturing process, from the procurement of the raw materials to the forming stage and provide different cases of how methodologies need to be tailored to answer specific research questions. Geochemical and petrographic analysis combined with macro and micro-observations of the ceramic materials from different sites in Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico clarify the human-environment interactions and socio-cultural aspects of communities in precolonial times, and during the colonial and postcolonial periods. Show less
Casale, S.; Donner, N.; Braekmans, D.; Geurds, A. 2020
This research characterizes and reconstructs clay procurement and production practices through the integration of in-situ portable XRF and petrographic analysis on ancient ceramics and clay... Show moreThis research characterizes and reconstructs clay procurement and production practices through the integration of in-situ portable XRF and petrographic analysis on ancient ceramics and clay materials recovered from the Mayales river subbasin (central Nicaragua). A particular choice for this study was the largest and arguably most significant archaeological site in the area, Aguas Buenas (cal 400–1250 CE), a pre-Hispanic indigenous agglomeration consisting of 371 human-made mounds of various shapes arranged in geometric patterns. Microanalytical approaches were applied to reconstruct the use of raw mineral resources in the production of ubiquitous pottery materials found at this site and in its immediate surroundings. The resulting compositional analysis produced geochemical and mineralogical data allowing for the characterisation of distinct, geologically-based compositional groups throughout the valley, improving on the limited geological data resolution previously available. The integrated microscopic and compositional analysis (through p-XRF) of archaeological pottery materials and raw clay samples, generates a number of hypotheses and insights about the nature of the Aguas Buenas site, and its role as a shared space amongst groups living in the Mayales river Subbasin. Additionally, this study provides a solid research framework of investigation that can be employed for more detailed and extensive future studies on pre-Hispanic human occupation in this research area or elsewhere. Show less
