This award provides support for collaborative project led by archaeologist Dr. Anabel Ford and volcanologist Dr. Frank Spera. By uniting disciplines to address an archaeological problem, they will identify the source(s) of volcanic ash (glass) used as ceramic temper in everyday pottery of the ancient Maya in the Late Classic Period. The presence of fresh volcanic ash more than 350 km from any volcano that is consistently discovered in pottery fragments (sherds) from the limestone Maya lowlands is unexpected. Yet, since the 1930s, when Anna O. Sheppard identified volcanic ash in Maya pottery, archaeologists have been aware of the anomaly. The correct identification of the volcanic ash source(s) will enable these scholars to recover critical evidence of the cultural, ecological, and environmental influences that contributed to the rise and fall of the Maya civilization. How did relatively large volumes of volcanic ash become available for manufacturing ceramic production when all transport was with human effort? This question has never been answered and the implications are significant.
This project will use geochemical and volcanological tools to study the transport, dispersal, and identification of the volcanic glass shards in the ancient Maya pottery sherds. Examination will include 1) monitoring the effects of firing on the composition of the glass shards in the pottery sherds; 2) assessment of the elements (major, minor, and trace) and isotopic ratios (strontium and lead) of glass shards in pottery fragments for fingerprinting volcanoes; 3) matching the elemental composition of glass shards and associated minerals in pottery sherds to candidate volcanoes in the Central American Highlands and Mexican Volcanic Belt; 4) simulating patterns of ashfall dispersal to the limestone lowlands for candidate volcanoes; and 5) exploring the consequences of volcanic ashfall into the Maya lowland soil, plant, and animal life. These data will permit the team to address the implications of volcanic ash on the cultural development of the Maya and on refining lowland Maya chronology.
While it has been generally accepted that volcanic ash was of non-local origin, the anomaly of the presence of pristine, fresh volcanic ash has never been explained. Since the best answer is volcanic ashfall from distant volcanoes, the solution to the problem requires knowledge of both archaeology and volcanology. The intellectual merit of this collaboration is that it brings knowledge generated from NSF funding in distinct fields to a joint solution. The archaeological implications of the volcanological solution has consequences for understanding the economy of ceramic production as well as the ecology of the Maya forest where volcanoes are at a distance.
The broad impacts of the research results promote an innovative approach to problem-oriented science requiring the full involvement of distinct fields. Volcanoes are universally recognized as hazards, but at a distance they can provide benefits such as temper for pottery and amendments for soil. Thus, the resolution of this archaeological issue will expand our understanding of society's interaction with their changing environment.
