essay

Other ceramic and miscellaneous artifacts

ancient chalcatzingoAustinPublished In 1987 • Pages: 271-294

By: Grove, David C..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In the first half of this work, Grove describes ceramic artifacts other than vessels and anthropomorphic figurines from the Olmec-influenced highland site of Chalcatzingo. These are categorized according to function: 1) as personal adornment (beads, earspools, pendants and stamps); 2) in ritual (whistles, flutes, masks, miniature vessels and zoomorphic figurines); 3) for utilitarian purposes (spindle whorls, molds, and 'bananas'); and 4) unknown purpose (balls, ground sherds, and hollow spheres). The second half of the work covers miscellaneous materials: iron ore, shell, bone and sinew. The very few artifacts with Gulf Coast Olmec correlates are a shark-like pendant, some roller and flat stamps, zoomorphic single chamber whistles, and iron ore mirrors. Artifacts that provide contrast with, and/or fill voids in, the Gulf Coast Olmec record include ceramic earspools, animal figurines, 'bananas' (possible plastering tools, solid balls, ground sherd discs (tools, gaming pieces and/or tallying counters), ground sherd rectangles, obsidian 'bloodletters' (perforators), and worked shell and bone items. Miniature vessels (found mainly in domestic contexts) and ceramic bars that may have been tools for ceramic production supplement the general analysis of ceramic vessels found in Cyphers: 1987 (Document 16).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Ceramic technology
Lithic industries
Bone, horn, and shell technology
Acculturation and culture contact
Comparative evidence
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Olmec
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Mexico
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Leon G. Doyon ; 2007
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1972-1976
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
3500 BP-2500 BP
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chalcatzingo, Morelos State, Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
David C. Grove
whistles, ceramic - use 'CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY (323)' and 'MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (534)' and 'VISUAL ARTS (5311)'; stamps, ceramic - use 'CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY (323)' and 'PERSONAL GROOMING (302)' and 'VISUAL ARTS (5311)'
For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
85022673
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Olmecs