Reverse Engineering Archaeological Traditions Using Portable Devices: Chemical and Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Pre-Hispanic Ceramics from Nariño, Colombia

Portable devices open unprecedented opportunities to conduct archaeological science research on samples and locations that would otherwise be inaccessible. In the Andean region of Nariño (Colombia), archaeological collections include a rich range of pre-Hispanic decorated ceramics that are typically classified based on their style, but so far we know very little about their raw material and technologies, the craft organisation, and the possible interactions among potters.
As part of the REVERSEACTION project (www.reverseaction.org), we have been developing non-invasive approaches using portable instruments that may help us address these questions. On the one hand, we calibrated a portable XRF instrument using international reference materials, and used it to analyse the pastes and pigments in 160 vessels representing three different styles: Capulí, Piartal, and Tuza. In parallel, we used a structured light portable 3D scanner to obtain digital models of the vessels, enabling us to formally study variability in their shapes. By crossing elemental and morphological information, we have been able to characterise distinct aspects of each ware, quantify their variability, and identify shared traits (such as clay or paint sources), as well as idiosyncratic features that may reflect the practice of individual potters or workshops.
In this presentation, we will outline the potential and challenges of our portable methodological protocol, the results of our analyses, and the next steps.