Provenience archaeological studies of ceramic raw material and artifacts using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA): the cases of Chaschuil and Bolsón de Fiambalá

PLÁ, RITA, RATTO, NORMA Y DE LA FUENTE, GUILLERMO

NURT´99, International Symposium on Nuclear and Related Techniques, Workshop on Application of NAA in Ceramic Analysis in Archaeological Studies

Lugar: Habana, Cuba; Año: 1999 p. 1 - 15

This paper deals with the archaeological aspects of the work that has been done under the Contract ARG 9393, part of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Program (1997-2000). The proposed working plan is included in a frame project of the School of Archaeology of the University of Catamarca: Chaschuil Archaeological Project. This is an interdisciplinary project of regional archaeology, which carries out research in the Argentine southern Puna region. Its goal is to explain land use, focusing on the study of both environmental and aftefactual variability. In order to accomplish these goals, the project comprises a variety of techniques, including paleoenvironmental, ecological, geomorphological, geoarchaeological, taphonomic and resource provenance studies. Together with archaeological data, they provide the basis for models about mobility and exchange among past societies in the southern Puna. The general objective of this IAEA research contract is to study the provenience of ceramic raw material used in the manufacture of ceramic artifacts by measns of trace-element characterization by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis –INAA- . INAA is a powerful tool for discussing archaeological problems like the following ones: (a) use of space by past societies, (b) group mobility strategies in the past, (c) comparison of exploited sources of ceramic raw materials with non-exploited sources in both regions, (d) manufacture centres and their range of influence and distribution , and (e) kind of goods transported and exchanged in the past. The results will allow the discussion and modelling of prehispanic social relationships in the Catamarca southwestern macro-region, especially between Puna and mesothermal valley environments, located at 3,500-4,200 and 1,500 meters above sea level, respectively. The main hypotheses are: ü        About the mobility in the past, our hypothesis is that the region puneña of Chaschuil worked as a corridor for the ciruclations of goods, energy and information, interconnecting large spaces, as longitudinal and transversal level, and realting to other facilities located at the bottom of the mesothermal valleys, especially at Bolsón de Fiambalá. ü        The ceramic artifacts recovered in the area puneña were manufactured with raw ceramic materials comong from the valley area ü        In the puneña area, local manufacture of ceramic artefacts did not exist within the 2000-years period