Study of earth raw materials from the Sechura desert, northwest Peru : an archaeometric approach
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Date
2023-09-16
Authors
Θεοφιλάς, Κωνσταντίνος
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Abstract
This study is part of the broader Franco-Peruvian research program called
"Sechura Desert Archaeological Program". By conducting a comprehensive assessment
of the geochemical, petrological, and mineralogical properties of clay raw materials
originating from the Nunura region of Peru's Sechura Desert, the present study seeks to
investigate the possible correlation between these raw materials and the ceramics made by paddle and anvil technique (paleteado) examined in a previous thesis (Giannopoulos, 2021). Using a multifaceted approach, the present research uses X-ray fluorescence(WD-XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and optical microscopy (OM) to the composition of both the collected clay raw materials and the
experimental specimens (briquettes) derived from them.
Petrographic analysis allowed parallels between clay samples and the
petrographic fabric group 3 described in previous research (Giannopoulos, 2021). The
clay raw materials used to produce pottery were mostly calcium poor, with inclusions
of non-plastic materials derived from igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
lithotypes, such as granite, rhyolite, andesite, sandstone, slate and quartzite.
Mineralogical analyses, carried out via XRPD, revealed a wide range of mineral
phases in the samples. Quartz, plagioclase, potassium feldspar, muscovite, illite,
jarosite, boracite, alite, clinopyroxene, hematite, clinoptilolite, lizardite, chlorite,
kaolinite, montmorillonite and the presence of mixed illite/smectite layers were
identified. These findings contribute valuable information on the nature and
composition of clay raw materials and form the basis for drawing conclusions about the
possibility of its use by the population that either resided permanently in the area or
passed through it. Their correlation with the mineralogical composition of pottery that
has already been studied by the research area is expected to shed light on key
archaeological questions concerning the living of the indigenous population and its
interaction with passers-by.
Among the questions expected to be answered by this research project, of which
this Master's thesis is a part, is the local origin of the ceramic artifacts found in the areas of Huaca Grande and Huaca Amarilla and accordingly will identify all the
corresponding scenarios regarding questions such as the identity of the pre-Columbian
inhabitants of Sechura and the kind of ties that linked them to neighboring cultural traditions. The present study partially confirms the local origin of ceramic objects while
highlighting the suitability of the clay raw materials under study for the manufacture of
ceramic artifacts.
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Keywords
Archaeometry, Archaeometric approach, Sechura Desert Archaeological Program