Changes in the Sources of Olivine-Tempered Ceramics and Social Interaction Patterns in the Virgin Branch Region

Abstract

Olivine-tempered ceramics are widely distributed in the Virgin Branch Puebloan region. The sources of olivine are in the highlands near Mt. Trumbull and Tuweep. Thus, the presence of olivine-tempered ceramics in the lowland Virgin area indicates economic and social ties between the highland and lowland populations. The ceramic compositional study using LA-ICP-MS suggests that these olivine-tempered ceramics were produced not only in Mt. Trumbull but also in the lowland Virgin area. The study also suggests that some of the olivine-tempered ceramics made in the lowland Virgin area were moved back to Mt. Trumbull. In this study, I explore the mechanisms of social interactions that moved olivine-tempered ceramics within various areas. In particular, I address the question of whether these olivine-tempered ceramics were transported as a result of trading or human migrations during various time periods. To answer this question, ceramic compositional data are combined with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating.

Las cerámicas con desgrasante de olivino están ampliamente distribuidas en la región Pueblo de Virgin Branch. Las fuentes de olivino se encuentran en las tierras altas cerca del altiplano de la Montaña de Trumbull y Tuweep. Por lo tanto, la presencia de cerámica con olivino en el área Virgen de las tierras bajas indica lazos económicos y sociales entre las poblaciones de las tierras altas y las tierras bajas. El estudio de composición de cerámica usando LA-ICP-MS sugiere que estas cerámicas con olivino se produjeron no solo en la región de la Montaña de Trumbull pero también en la zona Virgen de las tierras bajas. El estudio también sugiere que algunas de las cerámicas con olivino hechas en el área Virgen de las tierras bajas se trasladaron a la Montaña de Trumbull. En este estudio, exploro los mecanismos de las interacciones sociales que movieron la cerámica con olivino dentro de varias áreas. En particular, abordo la cuestión de si estas cerámicas con olivino fueron transportadas como resultado del comercio o las migraciones humanas durante varios períodos de tiempo. Para responder a esta pregunta, los datos de composición cerámica se combinarán con la datación por luminiscencia estimulada ópticamente (OSL).

KEYWORDS:

• Virgin Branch Pueblo
• Ceramic source study
• LA-ICP-MS
• OSL dating
• Trading
• Migration
• Ceramic production and distribution
• Risk minimization strategies

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude especially to Michael Glassow for his guidance on all aspects of my dissertation, including the study presented in this paper. I would also like to offer special thanks to Hector Neff for his help during my ICP-MS, statistics analysis, the theoretical arguments as well as providing the Spanish translation of the abstract. I appreciate the generous help from James Feathers in training me in the luminescence dating technique. Special thanks to Paul Buck for his help in providing me the opportunity to conduct my dissertation work at Mt. Trumbull. I must also thank David Van Alfen, Greg Woodall, Chad Corey, and Mark Wimmer, at Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument for their support and guidance of my field work and Karen Harry and James Allison for the theoretical discussions about this issue. My thanks also go the reviewers of this manuscript, including Helen Fairley, for their helpful comments and suggestions. The analyses presented here are supported by an NSF grant awarded to Hector Neff that included NSF-MRI BCS-0321361, NSF Archaeometry BCS-0604712, and NSF Archaeometry BCS-0917702.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

The analyses presented here are supported by an National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Hector Neff that included NSF-MRI BCS-0321361, NSF Archaeometry BCS-0604712, and NSF Archaeometry BCS-0917702; Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.