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Analyses of Archaeological Ceramics From Classic Period Teotihuacan, Mexico, A.D. 150–750

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Charles C. Kolb*
Affiliation:
National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, Washington, D.C. 20506ckoIb@neh.fed.us
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Abstract

From ca. A.D. 150–750 Classic period civilization in Central Mexico was dominated by the city-state of Teotihuacan, a metropolis of at least 125,000 inhabitants located in a northeastern valley of the Basin of Mexico. This polity exercised economic and religious control over a wide area, regulated obsidian tool resources and production, and locally fabricated and also imported a variety of ceramic artifacts. In this report I shall summarize the status of current and ongoing investigations of Classic Teotihuacan period archaeological ceramics by surveying briefly the regional geology, reviewing previous research employing petrography and INAA, and examining the salient results of the analyses to date on two foreign and seven domestic ceramic wares. Lastly, I consider important research problems and suggest cautions for future investigations of ceramics and clay sources.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

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