First millennium AD pottery from the Quebrada de Amaicha (Tafí del Valle Department, Tucumán Province): Insights on technology and potential raw materials

Abstract

This paper is the first systematic approach to pottery manufacturing practices in Quebrada de Amaicha during first millennium AD. The first steps of the chaîne opératoire were analyzed. Essentially, those that relate to raw material provision, preparation, and paste elaboration. To this end, ceramic paste analysis on sherds recovered from the archaeological sites of El Remate and Bajo Los Cardones, and their potential raw materials are presented here. Paste composition and its attributes were analyzed using a binocular magnifying glass and a petrographic microscope. This revealed information about choices taken during pottery manufacture, and about the geological nature of the non-plastic elements in the ceramic paste. Alongside this study, local clay and sand deposits were analyzed, including the geological characteristics of the area. This allowed us to consider technological aspects of ceramic manufacture, especially of paste preparation. This data provided us with information on the existence of local resources suitable for pottery manufacturing; while suggesting that these raw materials were used effectively by local inhabitants during first millennium AD.