Catherine Morton (Bland) | Flinders University of South Australia (original) (raw)

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Papers by Catherine Morton (Bland)

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate ceramic vitrification stages sinc... more Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate ceramic vitrification stages since the 1970s, however its application has been primarily restricted to stoneware and high-fired ceramics. The purpose of this study was to determine whether stages of vitrification could also be identified in prehistoric low-fired archaeological earthenware ceramics via SEM using northern Chilen samples covering a period c. 2000 to 500 years BP as a case study. This was achieved by visually comparing microstructural changes between original and re-fired ceramic sherds. The microstructural changes identified in this study indicate that the potters who made these vessels achieved early stages of vitrification. This result demonstrates that SEM is a useful technique to investigate the development of firing technology in earthenware manufacture.

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In Andean archaeology stylistic differences between material remains, such as ceramics, have trad... more In Andean archaeology stylistic differences between material remains, such as ceramics, have traditionally been treated as reflecting ethnic/social identity or political affiliation. This is particularly true for northern Chile as the lack of architectural features have resulted in a focus on stylistic variability of ceramics to identify cultural interaction. However, with the advent of mineral and elemental approaches in ceramic studies, there are now new avenues available to explore these issues. Furthermore, an integration of traditional stylistic approaches with mineral and elemental methods provides opportunities to cross-check various data thereby enhancing interpretive possibilities. Given Andean archaeology’s prior reliance on stylistic data the potential of integrated methods to provide new insights is therefore significant. In this regard this paper will explore the associated issues as well as potentialities of integrated methods in the context of Andean ceramic studies and will present preliminary results of how this integration of methodologies has contributed to the understanding of cultural influence and interactions in northern Chile.

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This thesis presents the results of a technological and functional analysis of the stone artefact... more This thesis presents the results of a technological and functional analysis of the stone artefacts from the Ngaut Ngaut (Devon Downs) rockshelter, South Australia. In particular, this thesis presents new information and interpretations through the re-analysis of the stone artefact assemblage relating to artefact numbers, the identification of raw materials, manufacturing processes including core rotation, flake termination types, platform preparation and usewear patterns. This information and related interpretations are considered in relation to prior hypotheses about stone artefacts from Ngaut Ngaut and nearby sites, largely through comparison with the works of Tindale, Mulvaney and Smith.

The results show that discrepancies exist between researchers in relation to the identification of stone artefacts from the Ngaut Ngaut assemblage. It is argued that the predominant discrepancy between researcher artefact counts and identification arises due to the typological biases of past researchers.

A re-analysis of the raw materials in the stone assemblage identified previously unrecorded materials, including silcrete, mica schist and compressed limestone. Further, it is argued that there are changes in raw material use over time, with some raw materials only present in certain stratigraphic layers.

In addition, the re-analysis undertaken in this research more adequately defined the range of core types present in the assemblage in comparison to previous studies. Aspects of the analysis, such as flake terminations, show that feathered terminations (which arguably reveal greater control of force variables by knappers) may have increased through time, thereby potentially conflicting with Mulvaney’s ‘degeneration’ theory. Similarly, the research also shows that retouch increases over time. If one considers retouch to be either the intensity of resharpening or as a result of deliberate manufacture, either scenario could be interpreted as an increase in stoneworking rather than a general decline, as suggested in Mulvaney’s broader hypothesis. From the results of the research it can also be argued that neither of the latter aspects of the analysis showed any observable dramatic changes in manufacturing processes over time, which would be expected if one were to adhere to Tindale’s cultural succession theory. Thus, whilst certain changes can be demonstrated through this research and reveal the dynamism and skills of people who occupied the site the interpretations stemming from these results differ from previous hypotheses. Furthermore, Mulvaney has suggested that the range of raw materials being utilised in this region changed significantly during the past 5000 years; he suggested that organic materials were being more intensively utilised in recent times. For this theory to be supported one would expect to find usewear associated with the production of organic (wood, grass and fibre) artefacts in recent layers, however the results of the usewear analysis do not fit with this assessment.

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This paper will discuss a section of the PhD research currently being undertaken to understand th... more This paper will discuss a section of the PhD research currently being undertaken to understand the development and extent of external cultural influences on the Caleta Vitor population via a mineralogical, chemical and typological analysis of the ceramic record. The site is located along the coast of northern Chile, South America and spans through the Formative (4000 BP) to Late (476 BP) Periods.

This paper will briefly outline the cultural periods and phases associated with the site and will explore the three different approaches used to determine ceramic provenance. The three different approaches are typological, mineral and chemical. There is debate about which approach is best to use and some studies suggest that mineral and chemical results can produce contradicting evidence about ceramic provenance. This research will use all three approaches on the same ceramic samples and therefore will be able to produce comparable results. It is aimed that this section
of the research will produce results that will increase our understanding about these approaches and determine the limitations of each approach.

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Peer-reviewed journal articles by Catherine Morton (Bland)

This paper presents the findings arising from neutron activation analysis (NAA) of northern Chile... more This paper presents the findings arising from neutron activation analysis (NAA) of northern Chilean domestic ceramic samples from Caleta Vitor (n = 38) and clay samples (n = 15) from nearby valley, coast and highland contexts. This study presents the first NAA data set of ceramics spanning a temporal period of 1500 years (c.2000 to c.476 BP) from the Vitor Valley as well as the first attempt to use NAA to characterize potential clay sources in the region. On the basis of this study, we argue that the majority of domestic ceramics from Caleta Vitor share compositional similarities with clay samples collected from nearby valleys, allowing us to infer that the Caleta Vitor populations primarily procured their clay for domestic ceramics from local sources throughout a 1500-year period. Thus, despite the fact that there were interregional interactions during this period that included the influence of powerful Andean polities, it would appear that domestic ceramics continued to be produced locally, and by implication it can be argued that such interactions did not substantially affect this sphere of material culture production. Further, the apparent continuities in domestic ceramic production

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