terry sullivan on tue 15 jul 03
Bob, and others.
When studing geology and physical anthropology, along with doing
ceramics, I learned about how clays have a particular crystaline
structure and composition of minerals. A fellow from our school went on
to do his BS at Cal State U. Los Angeles. He had also done ceramics and
saw the conection with the two areas.
So he took shards from various sites in the Anasazi culture and analyzed
them with x-ray diffraction to idendify the minerals present in the
clay shards. He had a mineral "finger print" from each clay shard.
Then he traveled to sites all around the southwest, and even north
mexico, to get samples of the clay deposites used in these areas by the
ancestral potters. What he found was that pots made in no. mexico ,or
other far removed areas, had made it to places like Chaco Canyon or
Canyon de Chelly in New Mexico. We are talking a thousand miles away
from the place of origin.
Now, I am facinated with the indian cultures of the southwest so this
was very facinating information to me.
Pots made in one place were turning up a thousand miles from where they
were made. Remember that there were no horses, wheels, or other means of
easy transportation in that time. Everything was transported by folks
walking and carrying stuff.
You all have probably seen the "ball courts" in the Aztec culture of
central mexico, and south into central america. What you may not know is
that there is one of these "ball courts" in Arizona. Also; there are
feathers of exotic birds and semi precious stones from central and
south america in kivas of the New Mexico ancient indians. Obviously
there was trade from the New Mexico area all the way to central
america. Not so startling until on realizes that all trade was done by
foot over thousands of miles. No horses or carts and such had been
extincted from north america for thousands of years
Gives a new perspective on trade and such without what we might consider
vital to cover a thousand miles to get a pot, or a myna bird, or some
so. american tourqoise.
Yours, Terry Sullivan
Nottingham Arts
Bob Nicholson on tue 15 jul 03
Did anyone else see the new PBS show "History Detectives"
last night?
They were trying to identify the origin of a small ceramic
figure. They took a very thin slice and examined it under
a microscope. They were able to identify the crystal
composition of the clay, and from that, determine where
the object originated.
Seemed pretty cool!
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