Study of ceramics from Brazilian slave quarters of the XVIII and XIX centuries by EDXRF and multivariate analysis.

This study refers to the archaeometric analysis of ceramic fragments found in archaeological excavations around slave quarters of Colégio dos Jesuítas and São Bento plantations, both located in Campos dos Goytacazes - RJ. The question whether handmade ceramics were produced by the slaves themselves or acquired through local trade networks is an open and important question in the African diaspora. Samples of clay sources and the ceramic fragments, were analyzed using the EDXRF technique with the aid of multivariate statistical analysis.

Earliest evidence of primate captivity and translocation supports gift diplomacy between Teotihuacan and the Maya.

A multimethod archaeometry study (zooarchaeological, isotopic, ancient DNA, paleobotanical, and radiocarbon dating) of a spider monkey sacrificed in the ceremonial center of Teotihuacan, Mexico (1 to 550 CE) is interpreted as a diplomatic gift exchange with neighboring Maya. Not only does this spider monkey provide the earliest known instance of primate translocation and captivity in Mesoamerica, it helps date incipient modes of interregional diplomacy between two major powers during Early Classic Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan and the Maya. Details of human-primate interaction include age at capture and transport (before ∼3 y of age), captive duration (over 2 y), anthropogenic diet (staple was maize, though secondary resources unique to anthropogenic diet including arrowroot and chili pepper were also found), context of sacrifice (tethered and associated with complete golden eagle and an array of other statecrafts), and general site context (including presence of Maya vessels and Maya-style murals). The timing of the spider monkey's sacrifice (250 to 300 CE) and its life history suggest a reconsideration of epigraphically attested militaristic involvement of Teotihuacan at certain Maya sites. We propose that a period of more multilateral and fluid ritual exchange with Maya dignitaries preceded the Teotihuacan state's eventual ascent to prominence.

New light on the use of Theobroma cacao by Late Classic Maya.

Cacao seeds, Theobroma cacao, provide the basis for a ceremonially important Mesoamerican food. Past efforts to identify cacao in ceramics focused on highly decorative vessel forms associated with elite ceremonial contexts, creating assumptions as to how cacao was distributed and who could access it. This study examines 54 archaeological ceramic sherds from El Pilar (Belize/Guatemala) of Late Classic (600 to 900 CE) residential and civic contexts representing a cross-section of ancient Maya inhabitants. Identification of cacao in ancient sherds has depended on the general presence of theobromine; we used the discrete presence of theophylline, a unique key biomarker for cacao in the region. Analysis was done by grinding off all outside surfaces to reduce contamination, pulverizing the inner clay matrix, extracting absorbed molecules, and concentrating the extractions. In order to obtain especially high selectivity and low limits of detection, our study utilized the technique of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization coupled with laser-desorption jet-cooling mass spectrometry. This technique isolates molecules in the cold gas phase where they can be selectively ionized through a resonant two-photon process. Of the sherds analyzed, 30 samples (56%) were found to contain significant amounts of theophylline and thus test positive for cacao. Importantly, cacao is present in all contexts, common to all Maya residents near and far from centers.

Characterization of Pottery from Teotihuacan Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy.

Pottery sherds from Teotihuacan, Mexico, belonging to the Formative and Classic periods (150 BCE-700 CE) were investigated using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). LIBS results show that most of the investigated samples have primarily the same elemental composition. Nevertheless, there are also a few sherds that could be associated to foreign ceramic groups with characteristic concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mn, Rb, and Sr. The relative elemental composition of red pigments applied on ceramic bodies was also analyzed through a LIBS depth profiling. Diverse hematite-based pigments were distinguished according to the detected iron content. Hematite was also combined with red soils with a high relative content of Mn, Sr, Ba, or Ti. The ICP-OES analysis of ceramic pastes is consistent with the emission intensities obtained using LIBS. Principal component analysis indicates that all samples identified as locals belong to a single chemical group. Moreover, locally made ceramics and the analyzed clays from the nearby area have the same elemental composition, which appears clearly differentiated from imported samples.

Chemical evidence for the use of multiple psychotropic plants in a 1,000-year-old ritual bundle from South America.

Over several millennia, various native plant species in South America have been used for their healing and psychoactive properties. Chemical analysis of archaeological artifacts provides an opportunity to study the use of psychoactive plants in the past and to better understand ancient botanical knowledge systems. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to analyze organic residues from a ritual bundle, radiocarbon dated to approximately 1,000 C.E., recovered from archaeological excavations in a rock shelter located in the Lípez Altiplano of southwestern Bolivia. The site is located at an elevation of ∼3,900 m above sea level and contains evidence of intermittent human occupations during the last 4,000 years. Chemical traces of bufotenine, dimethyltryptamine, harmine, and cocaine, including its degradation product benzoylecgonine, were identified, suggesting that at least three plants containing these compounds were part of the shamanic paraphernalia dating back 1,000 years ago, the largest number of compounds recovered from a single artifact from this area of the world, to date. This is also a documented case of a ritual bundle containing both harmine and dimethyltryptamine, the two primary ingredients of ayahuasca. The presence of multiple plants that come from disparate and distant ecological areas in South America suggests that hallucinogenic plants moved across significant distances and that an intricate botanical knowledge was intrinsic to pre-Columbian ritual practices.

Multi-technique investigation of potshards of a cerrito (earthen mound) from southern Brazil.

The physicochemical investigation of ceramics crafted and managed by ancient humans allows a better understanding of their social, technological, economical, routine and artistic activities. The Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul presents the biggest number of registered archaeological sites in the country, and many of them are earthen mounds, locally known as cerritos de indios. This kind of archaeological site is of utmost importance to understand the social development of the biome Pampa - including areas from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - and almost nothing is known about the physicochemical composition of the artifacts from the Brazilian portion. In this work we investigated the mineral phases present in archaeological ceramics from the cerrito Pavão I (PSG-20) by means of white light microscopy (petrography), Raman micro-spectroscopy, XRD and XRF spectroscopies, and FTIR-ATR. Different minerals were identified and allowed to propose a firing temperature of ca. 500-650 °C. It was also suggested that the makers used both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres, that more than one clay source was used to prepare the ceramics, and that trace elements are present in different shards. Regarding the multi-analytical technique approach, the results highlight the importance of complementary investigations and underline the role of Raman micro-spectroscopy for these objects.

Analysis of clay smoking pipes from archeological sites in the region of the Guanabara Bay (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) by FT-IR.

In this study, twenty samples of clay smoking pipes excavated in an 18km(2) area between the Macacu and Caceribu rivers, in the municipality of Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were analyzed by FT-IR technique. The samples, excavated in different archeological sites of the region, are dated between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries and are part of the material culture left by Africans and African descendants that lived in the complex. FT-IR analyses and complementary SEM-EDS studies showed that the clay paste used in the manufacture of smoking pipes, mostly handcrafted, is composed of quartz, feldspar, phyllosilicates and iron oxides. Multivariate statistical tests (PCA) were applied to FT-IR data to assess the interactions between the archeological sites. The results indicated that one archeological site - Macacu IV - is greatly related to the other sites. The results obtained have helped archeologists and anthropologists in better understanding the manufacturing process employed in ancient ceramic artifacts produced during the period of colonial Brazil.