Neutron Activation of Dogoszhi Style Ceramics: Production and Exchange in the Chacoan Regional System

ABSTRACT

Neutron activation analysis was carried out on 60 Dogoszhi style black-on-white ceramic vessels from three prehistoric Chacoan sites in the northern U.S. Southwest. Cylinder vessels and bowls from Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo, two large towns located in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, exhibited a high degree of compositional homogeneity. However, bowls from the community associated with the outlying town of Allentown were compositionally different, suggesting that they were manufactured at a different location. Comparisons with the results of neutron activation analyses obtained previously for Dogoszhi style sherds from Black Mesa, Arizona, revealed that these ceramics also were compositionally different from those found in Chaco Canyon.

RESUMEN

Se realizó un análisis de activicíon neutrón en 60 estilo Dogoszhi negro-sobre-blanco vasijas cerámicas de tres sitios prehistóricos Chaco en el norte del Suroeste Americano. Las vasijas en cinlindro y escudillas desde Pueblo Bonito y Pueblo del Arroyo, dos pueblos grandes colocados en el Cañon Chaco en Nuevo México, mostraron un alto grado de homogeneidad composicional. Sin embargo, escudillas asociadas con la periférica comunidad de Allentown eran composicionalmente diferente, indicando que fueron hechas en un sitio diferente. Una comparaciòn de los resultos de un análisis de activición neutrón previamente obtenidos de cascos estilo Dogoszhi de Black Mesa, Arizona, indica que estas cerámicas tambien eran composicionalmente diferentes a las del Canon Chaco.