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Early Pottery Making in Northern Coastal Peru. Part II: Field Firing ExperimentsI. Shimada, D. Goldstein Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901, USA J. Sosa Potter in the City of Chulcanas, Peru U. Wagner Physik-Department E15, Technische Universität München, 85747 Garching, Germany Abstract We present data from three seasons of experimental field work designed to recreate ancient Andean coastal ceramic firing techniques. Based on the recent discovery of two different archaeological ceramic production sites in the La Leche river valley of northern coastal Peru, the opportunity arose to apply Mössbauer spectroscopy and other analytical methods to reconstruct ancient firing procedures. Two sets of firings took place in 1993 and 1997 in Batán Grande using a partially restored Formative kiln from about 800 BC, local hardwood and cow dung as fuel. A third experiment followed in 2000 after the discovery of a Middle Sicán ceramics workshop in use between ca. AD 950 and 1050 at Huaca Sialupe, where an exact replica of an ancient kiln was built from local clay, and fired with local wood and cow dung. Additionally, inverted urns found at Huaca Sialupe were tested for their potential use as furnaces for metal working. Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to compare the physical and chemical state of specimens produced in the field experiments with ancient ceramics and with specimens produced in controlled laboratory experiments. Keywords Mössbauer spectroscopy, Formative pottery, Sicán ceramics, replica pottery Previous Abstract | Download Article | Next Abstract | | |||||
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