Compositional analysis of Yayoi-Heian period ceramics from Okinawa: Examining the potential for provenance study
✍ Scribed by Scott M. Fitzpatrick; Hiroto Takamiya; Hector Neff; William R. Dickinson
- Book ID
- 102223032
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2006
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 318 KB
- Volume
- 21
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0883-6353
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✦ Synopsis
In Okinawa, locally produced pottery dates back to the Initial Jomon period (~6500 14 C yr B.P.). Later in time, especially during the Early Yayoi-Heian period (~300 B.C.-A.D. 300), ceramic assemblages appear to contain mainland (Japan) Yayoi pottery. A greater number of these sherds present in Okinawa over time coincide with an increasing amount of interaction with mainland Japan, as evidenced by other exchange items. In this preliminary study, the authors analyzed sherds from several Early Yayoi-Heian period deposits from sites in Okinawa using thin-section petrography and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The objective was to examine the applicability of these techniques for Okinawan ceramic provenance studies, assess intra-and intersite variation in mineralogical and chemical composition, and determine whether some sites exhibited a higher frequency of pottery from one locale versus another that might suggest the importation of pottery from mainland Japan. Results are equivocal, suggesting that the region's geological complexity may inhibit successful provenance study of ceramics using these and possibly other compositional techniques.