Blomster et al. (2005)

Olmec Pottery Production and Export in Ancient Mexico Determined Through Elemental Analysis

J. P. Blomster, H. Neff, and M. D. Glascock (2005) Science 307(5712): 1068–1072.

Abstract

The first Mesoamerican civilization, the Gulf Coast Olmec, is associated with hierarchical society, monumental art, and an internally consistent ideology, expressed in a distinct style and salient iconography. Whether the Olmec style arose in just one area or emerged from interactions among scattered contemporaneous societies remains controversial. Using elemental analysis, we determined the regional clay sources of 725 archaeological ceramic samples from across Mesoamerica. Exported Olmec-style ceramics originated from the San Lorenzo region of the Gulf Coast, supporting Olmec priority in the creation and spread of the first unified style and iconographic system in Mesoamerica, a variety of commodities, and the participation of all social group members.

Number of samples in dataset: 1118

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Recent research reported by the Archaeometry Lab at MURR after June 2005 is based on support by the National Science Foundation under our current grant number 0504015.
Earlier research was supported by several NSF grants, including the following numbers: 8801707, 9102016, 9503035, 9802366, 9977237, 0102325, and 0405042.  Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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