Advances in archaeometric technology for the study of archaeological ceramics from the circumpuneño area

Abstract

In recent years, the application of archeometric studies has increased notably. On the one hand, because it has managed to expand an interdisciplinary field that has allowed the training of professionals. On the other hand, because work spaces have been developed with access to the use of different analytical techniques, as well as dialogue and exchange in the analysis of the results between specialists. Regarding the study of archaeological ceramic materials, advances in the development of techniques and technology related to archaeological work has facilitated the review of results and data that were obtained in a timely manner during the investigations, in order to continue exploring archaeological problems and solve pending issues related to processes of production and circulation of ceramic materials, social practices of exchange, interaction and integration and their associated rituals, among others. This work aims to present the application of new technologies and methodologies adapted to ceramic materials to evaluate their potential related to the scope of the information obtained and to review and incorporate new data related to the study of the origin of raw materials, characterization of pastes and techniques of manufacturing used by Andean potters. For this, two case studies of archaeological ceramics from the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy province (Argentina), are presented, based on analyzes carried out with petrography-QEMSCAN, Raman-IFT-IR, UV-IR microscope and pigment microstratrigraphy. The results obtained have offered additional and specific information to interpret the interactions inside and outside the space of the Quebrada de Humahuaca in different chronological moments of the pre-Hispanic past, giving an account of the use of the circumpuneño space by the communities that inhabited it