Small-scale pottery production and distribution in the southern confines of the Inca Empire: an archaeometric insight to define the Provincial style

Abstract

This paper proposes an archaeometric contribution to the study of the Inca pottery style from the southeastern frontier ofTawantinsuyu, also known as the Inca Empire, located in Central Western Argentina (CWA). In complementing previousresearch, a geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of ceramics from various Inca and local sites is carried outby combining X-ray fluorescence analysis (WD-XRF), powder X-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD) and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM-EDX). The exhaustive statistical treatment and discussion of the chemical data, complemented by mineralogical and microstructural data gathered through PXRD and SEM-EDX techniques, provide significant insights into the provenance of raw materials, paste recipes, firing conditions, estimated firing temperature and post-depositional contaminations. A complex structure comprising six meaningful ceramic groups has been identified, with some of them attributed to hypothetical provenance areas defined by previous research. Additionally, many ceramics remained ungrouped. Despite the identified compositional variability, certain technological attributes exhibit a higher degree of homogeneity. The estimated firing temperature and microstructure of the pottery denote some control over firing conditions to produce vessels with high mechanical strength and toughness suitable for storage and short-distance distribution. The results of both compositional and technological analyses point to the existence of multiple production loci within a domestic or communitarian model of production sharing the same pottery tradition.