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An Analysis of pXRF Obsidian Source Attributions from Tikal, Guatemala

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Hattula Moholy-Nagy ,
James Meierhoff ,
Mark Golitko  and
Caleb Kestle
Hattula Moholy-Nagy
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia PA, 1204 Gardner Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4321 (hattula@sprynet.com)
James Meierhoff
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Behavioral Sciences Building, Chicago, IL 60607-7139 (jmeier3@uic.edu; calebkestle@gmail.com)
Mark Golitko
Affiliation:
Field Museum of Natural South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 (mgolitko@fieldmuseum.org)
Caleb Kestle
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Behavioral Sciences Building, Chicago, IL 60607-7139 (jmeier3@uic.edu; calebkestle@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) was used to obtain source determinations for 2,235 obsidian artifacts. These were supplemented by 48 previously published results made by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to bring the total sample to 2,283. Thirteen geological sources have been identified by instrument to date. Three sources in Highland Guatemala accounted for nearly 98 percent of all attributions, with approximately 2 percent from 10 green and gray obsidian sources in central Mexico. Geological sources can be brought into cultural context by examining their distributions among types of artifacts, recovery contexts, structure group types, distance from the Classic period epicenter of the city, and chronological relationships. Several procurement systems operated to import obsidian cores and other artifacts. Consumers obtained obsidian artifacts primarily through marketplace exchange, but other kinds of distribution are also indicated. The reliability, portability, rapidity, ease of use, non-destructive nature, and relatively low cost of pXRF show promise for the acquisition of the source attributions needed to construct the past cultural contexts of obsidian procurement and use. This method produces results comparable to those obtained by other kinds of instrumental analysis, and with a considerably higher degree of reliability than visual determinations.

Presentamos y discutimos atributos de yacimientos geológicos de 2,235 artefactos de obsidiana del sitio de Tikal obtenidos por medio de un instrumento portátil de espectrometría fluorescente (pXRF). Incluimos también otros 48 resultados instrumentales publicados previamente, sumando un total de 2,283 muestras. De los 13 yacimientos identificados en este análisis, casi el 98 por ciento provinieron de los tres sitios en el altiplano de Guatemala más cercanos a Tikal. Casi el 91 por ciento del total son de un sólo yacimiento, El hay al. Alrededor del 2 por ciento son de 11 yacimientos de obsidianas grises y verdes del centro de México; algunos de estos se ubican a más de 1,000 km-aire de Tikal. Un total de 556 artefactos de obsidiana verde de México forman el uno por ciento de los aproximadamente 50,000 objetos de obsidiana registrados de Tikal. Una base de datos de esta magnitud proveniente de un sólo sitio permite el examen de los artefactos identificados como materiales culturales en lugar de sólo muestras geológicas. Al estudiar la distribución de yacimientos de obsidiana entre tipos de artefactos, contextos de recuperación, tipos de grupos de construcciones, la distancia desde el centro de la ciudad, y los cambios de yacimientos a través del tiempo, podemos situar la importación y empleo de la obsidiana en su contexto cultural pasado. El método de análisis pXRF es portátil, fácil, rápido, exacto y relativamente económico. Además, su naturaleza no-destructiva presenta un considerable potencial para la adquisición de muestras grandes para atribuciones de yacimientos. Este método puede rápida y económicamente producir resultados comparables a los obtenidos por otros métodos de análisis instrumentales y con mucho más precisión que las determinaciones visuales.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , March 2013 , pp. 72 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2013

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Table S4a

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