This is the first volume to bring together archaeology, anthropology, and art history in the analysis of pre-Columbian pottery. While previous research on ceramic artifacts has been divided by these three disciplines, this volume shows how integrating these approaches provides new understandings of many different aspects of Ancient American societies. Contributors from a variety of backgrounds in these fields explore what ceramics can reveal about ancient social dynamics, trade, ritual, politics, innovation, iconography, and regional styles. Essays identify supernatural and humanistic beliefs through formal analysis of Lower Mississippi Valley "Great Serpent" effigy vessels and Ecuadorian depictions of the human figure. They discuss the cultural identity conveyed by imagery such as Andean head motifs, and they analyze symmetry in designs from locations including the American Southwest. Chapters also take diachronic approaches—methods that track change over time—to ceramics from Mexico’s Tarascan State and the Valley of Oaxaca, as well as from Maya and Toltec societies. This volume provides a much-needed multidisciplinary synthesis of current scholarship on Ancient American ceramics. It is a model of how different research perspectives can together illuminate the relationship between these material artifacts and their broader human culture. Contributors: | Dean Arnold | George J. Bey III | Michael Carrasco | David Dye | James Farmer | Gary Feinman | Amy Hirshman | Yumi Park Huntington | Johanna Minich | Shelia Pozorski and Thomas Pozorski | Jeff Price | Sarahh Scher | Dorothy Washburn | Robert F. Wald

This cohesive edited volume showcases data collected from more than seven thousand ceramic artifacts including pottery, figurines, clay pipes, and other objects from sites across South America. Covering a time span from 900 BC to AD 1500, the essays by leading archaeologists working in South America illustrate the diversity of ceramic provenance investigations taking place in seven different countries. An introductory chapter provides a background for interpreting compositional data, and a final chapter offers a review of the individual projects. Students, scholars, and researchers in archaeological study on the interactions between the indigenous peoples of South America and studies of their ceramics will find this volume an invaluable reference.

The finest history of pottery available, this book offers an inspirational journey through one of the oldest and most widespread of human activities.

Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley is an authoritative guide to the pre-Columbian pottery of the Mississippi River Valley, written by a team of expert archaeologists and scholars. This book provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of the various styles and techniques used by the ancient Mississippian cultures, including the Cahokia, Nodena, and Hopewell peoples. With its comprehensive coverage and insightful analysis, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the archaeology and history of North America. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.