Chemical_Analyses_of_Prehistoric_Mongolian_Pottery.pdfVIP

CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF PREHISTORIC MONGOLIANPOTTERY MARK HALL, WILLIAM HONEYCHURCH, JOSHUA WRIGHT, ZAGD BATSAIKHAN, and LUVSANVANDAN BILEGT Abstract:Chemical analysis has been shown to be a useful way to examine pottery production technology and trade/exchange networks in the Old World. This study examines chemical vari- in recovered the 1996 American and excavations in the ability pottery during Mongolian- survey Egiin Gol valley of northernMongolia. The earthenwarepottery ranges in date fromthe Mongo- lian Bronze to the Manchu Period. fluorescence was used Age Energydispersive x-ray EDXRF to determinethe minor and trace element composition of a variety of ceramic wares. Multivari- ate analysis indicates that there arethree chemical groups in the data. These chemical groups arebelieved to correspondto regional clay deposits within the valley. The largest chemical group contains pottery rangingin date fromthe Bronze Age to the Manchu Period;indicating that a consistent pottery recipewas in use throughoutthe valley for millennia. The spatial patterningof the chemical groups at sites throughoutthe valley are seen as being due to seasonal movements of animal herds or some sort of trade/exchange/redistributionnetwork. as Introduction the potteryof northernMongoliais characterized with decorationssuch as plain earthenware simple Since 1996,the American stamping,or appliqué.Previous stud- Mongolian- Expedition cord-marking, has been engagedin survey and excavation in the ies of this materialand of potteryfromneighboring lower Egiin Gol Rivervalley located in Bulgan partsof Siberiahave focused primarilyon the ves- Aimag, Mongolia Fig. 1 . Workis being done over sels shape and decoration Khudyakov1989;Sem- in this of northern ina Vetrov Therehave been a few a 120 km2area region Mongolia 1985; 1985 . only in advance of flooding from a hydroelectric dam. analyticalstudies, primarilypétrographie,of Mon- To date, a considerableamountof ceramicma- golian and Siberianp