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Abstract This study centers on a sample of ceramics (n = 37) from the site of San José Cuautitlan and contextualized within a much larger database of Formative ceramics (n = 1242), mostly from greater central Mexico. The sample was assayed through neutron activation analysis (NAA), with a subsample made into thin sections for petrographic analysis. In this article, we (1) situate the sample from San José within the longer history of ceramic traditions over the Formative period in the Basin of Mexico, (2) assess the pottery production recipe employed at San José in comparison to the composition of ceramics from neighboring segments of the Basin, and (3) source a sample of 10 Granular White amphora that were imported into the site. We demonstrate a low level of ceramic trade among sites within the Basin of Mexico. We also tentatively source Granular White amphora recovered at the site to central Morelos. Further, we show through a comparison of these Late Formative Granular White specimens to later Classic period Granular Ware from Teotihuacan and other sites that the source of this trade ware changed over time. 

Abstract This study explores the use of three isotopic systematics—Sr, Nd, and Pb— combined together for the first time to trace the origins of ancient pottery. This approach strengthens our ability to relate raw materials to the final products. The materials selected for the analysis are from a well‐documented data set, previously subjected to a thorough mineralogical–petrographic and chemical characterization. Seventeen ceramic specimens represented by black‐glazed pottery, Terra sigillata, and fine common ware as well as production indicators such as black‐glazed pottery wasters and spacers were examined via isotope analyses. These samples were discovered in the archaeological site of Cales, presently Calvi Risorta, in South Italy. CaO‐rich clay raw materials from the area of interest were also analyzed as comparative references for the investigated ceramics. The comparison of the archaeometric data of the ceramic samples with the clay raw materials showed an affinity between the ceramics studied and local clay raw materials belonging to Mio‐Pliocene marine sediments from the Campania Apennine Mountain area. This affinity was more accurately defined through the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes, which show coinciding signatures among ceramic samples, production indicators, and raw materials. The method yields promising outcomes that reinforce prior experimental investigations and amplify its reliability. The multi‐isotopic methodology highlights the significance of combining geochemical data to pinpoint the origins of raw materials used for ancient ceramic production. 

Abstract Afro-Caribbean ware is Caribbean-made pottery manufactured both at the craft and industrial scale by enslaved and free potters of African descent. Previous sourcing studies have shown historic variation in centers of production and market distribution of these wares across the Caribbean. We used Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) on a clay sample and 13 low-fired coarse earthenware sherds excavated from the historic-period Jackson Wall Manor site on Grand Cayman. We found that the Grand Cayman clay was compositionally inconsistent with any previously analysed ceramic sherds in the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) NAA Caribbean database, and that the ceramic samples excavated on Grand Cayman showed high statistical correlation with Jamaican ceramic groups. These findings suggest that coarse earthenware on Grand Cayman was transported from Jamaica, a nearby colony with established potteries and markets, rather than being produced locally. Jamaican yabbas, which combined African and European manufacturing technique and forms, were imported into Grand Cayman to fit local needs. 

Abstract We examine provenance data collected from three types of geological resources recovered at Goat Spring Pueblo in central New Mexico. Our goal is to move beyond simply documenting patterns in compositional data; rather, we develop a narrative that explores how people's knowledge and preferences resulted in culturally and materially determined choices as revealed in those patterns. Our analyses provide evidence that residents of Goat Spring Pueblo did not rely primarily on local geological sources for the creation of their glaze paints or obsidian tools. They did, however, utilize a locally available blue-green mineral for creation of their ornaments. We argue that village artisans structured their use of raw materials at least in part according to multiple craft-specific and community-centered ethnomineralogies that likely constituted the sources of these materials as historically or cosmologically meaningful places through their persistent use. Consequently, the surviving material culture at Goat Spring Pueblo reflects day-to-day beliefs, practices, and social relationships that connected this village to a broader mosaic of interconnected Ancestral Pueblo taskscapes and knowledgescapes. 

Abstract This case study examines the use of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) as an effective method for defining distinct chemical compositions of local basalt stone from different sources in the Roman period, even when their quarries have not been identified. It also deals with the archaeological question if public and monumental structures from a village and urban site shared the same stone sources and stonemason's workshops. Ninety‐six samples from the HipposTerritorium, mainly from the polis of Hippos and the village of Majduliyya, were analyzed. XRF was found to be an effective method for defining distinct chemical compositions of local basalt materials from different sources. The distinct composition of the basalt stones between the two sites provided valuable insights into socio‐economic relationships, shedding light on the nature of city–village dynamics in the region. Additionally, it aids in discerning whether diverse basalt sources were utilized in both private and public constructions, as well as installations within a single site. Methodological questions and the application of this method in the archaeological research of basalt‐based architecture are also addressed. 

Abstract The obsidian dating method converts the quantity of diffused molecular water within a near‐surface hydration layer to elapsed time using an experimentally derived diffusion coefficient predicted from the structural water content of the glass. Infrared spectroscopic transmission measurements on transparent archaeological samples record vibrational responses of water bands in the near‐infrared region, permitting determination of structural water content (OH), and the amount of diffused ambient water (H₂O). In this application, the H₂O water band at 5200 cm⁻¹is measured directly. The accuracy of the approach is assessed by an evaluation of the precision of each contributing variable. The new protocol is evaluated using obsidian artifacts from radiocarbon‐dated deposits at Salamanca Cave in Argentina. 

Abstract The emergence of Sardis as an urban centre in the early Iron Age coincided with local production of fine painted pottery in a distinctive regional idiom. Examples of Lydian-style pottery found across western Anatolia from the eighth century BC attest the city’s growing cultural and economic contacts as well as consistent materials and craft methods. Archaeo- metric study using neutron activation analysis (NAA) at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) examined representative specimens of Lydian-style ceramics from Sardis and compared their composition with later examples of red-gloss and red-slipped pottery, fine grey wares and transport jars commonly found at the site. The results confirm the sustained activity of local workshops from the early Iron Age into later historical periods, as Lydia became part of the Seleucid and Roman empires and Sardis a centre of regional innovation. 

Abstract This study describes the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of pottery collected from Mugharat al‐Kahf and WTN02 in Wadi Tanuf, north‐central Oman, to clarify interregional similarities and differences in pottery production techniques and examine the existence of interregional trade in pottery with respect to changes in mobile communities. Potsherds from these sites were characterised using thin‐section petrography and instrumental neutron activation analysis. Results revealed that several clay fabrics and tempers were used during the Wadi Suq period (2000–1600 BCE). A region‐wide similarity exists in pottery‐making techniques in terms of the tempering of specific minerals (Oman ophiolite) used in the Early Iron Age (1300–300 BCE). Geochemical results indicate differences in clay sources between the Wadi Suq period and the Early Iron Age in Wadi Tanuf and the unlikelihood of the interregional trade of domestic pottery. 

Abstract We present the first geochemical data of archaeological obsidian for Isla Victoria, Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia. XRF analyses were performed on 15 samples of obsidian-like rocks from the Puerto Tranquilo 1 site. Only five of the artifacts—all of which come from upper levels of the site—correspond to obsidian as a raw material. The provenance analysis indicates the use of obsidian sources located in the Andean Forest area of southern Neuquen Province. Based on these preliminary results, we propose a north–south circulation axis for this raw material. These geographic results are discussed in relation to the information available regionally. 

Abstract Chemical analysis of glass from African archaeological sites has become a standard research tool over the past decades. Despite the multiplication of studies, the continent still exhibits vast unexplored regions. One of these is the surroundings of Lake Chad. This paper discusses the results of LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of recently excavated glass beads from the late medieval Chadian site of Tié. We demonstrate that the composition of those glass beads largely matches assemblages from along the East African coast. This indicates that most of the beads examined entered the region via a hitherto undocumented east–west Sudanic route linking Northeast Africa with Lake Chad.