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Characterization of Archaeological Ceramics Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Electron Microprobe Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

M.N. Spilde ,
N.H. Olsen  and
N. Creager
M.N. Spilde
Affiliation:
Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131
N.H. Olsen
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131
N. Creager
Affiliation:
QM Technologies, 3701 Hawkins St. NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109
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Extract

We have used several techniques in the field of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine ceramic pot sherds from a number of archaeological sites in New Mexico in an effort to characterize the ceramic material and determine the origin of some of the vessels. Typical archaeological sites belonging to Pueblo Indian ancestors in New Mexico are littered with numerous fragments of vessels which served different purposes such as cooking, food/water storage, eating, and ceremonial. often different styles of painting and slipping found on these fragments relate to different temporal and cultural influences. An important question that arises during examination of the many types of sherds involves the origin of each of the vessels. Analysis of mineral content and mineral chemistry can help answer these questions.

Thin sections of pot sherds from 4 prehistoric Anasazi sites (A.D. 1150-1250) from south and central New Mexico, a prehistoric Anasazi site in northwestern New Mexico (Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Alto A.D. 1000 -1150), and an historic Pueblo site from the Spanish period (A.D. 1540-1700) were examined.

Type
Quantitative Microanalysis
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 4 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis '98, Microscopy Society of America 56th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 32nd Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia July 12-16, 1998 , July 1998 , pp. 244 - 245
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

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