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NUKLEONIKA 2004;49(3):107113
Zsolt Kasztovszky,
Marlena Mackowiak de Antczak,
Andrzej Antczak,
Barbara Millan,
Judilka Bermdez,
Lszl Sajo-Bohus
Abstract A Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) facility has been in operation at the Budapest Neutron Centre
(BNC) since 1996. Nonetheless that PGAA is a relatively new method, its applicability to archeological research has already
been established by several studies. Archaeologists of the Simn Bolvar University initiated a research project aimed to
perform a provenance study of pre-Hispanic pottery figurines. Forty samples were selected from two archaeological sites
excavated in the Los Roques Archipelago. Almost five hundred figurines have been recovered altogether in four sites of the
Archipelago. Amerindian groups from the adjacent Venezuela mainland were identified as island sites occupants, between
A.D. 1200 and the European contact period. Forty fragments of figurines were investigated by PGAA, the concentrations
of major- and some trace components being determined. Among others, K2O, Cl and Cr were found to be the most significant
indicators of the samples originated from the Lake Valencia Basin (mainland) and from Los Roques Islands. By relating the
island figurines to their stylistical and chemical counterparts from the mainland we will provide chronological information on
hundreds of mainland figurines.
Key words pre-Hispanic culture pottery non-destructive analysis PGAA
Introduction
Zs. Kasztovszky
Department of Nuclear Research,
Institute of Isotopes,
Chemical Research Centre,
H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Thege 29-33, Hungary,
Tel.: +36 1 392 2539, Fax: +36 1 392 2584,
e-mail: kzsolt@alpha0.iki.kfki.hu
M. Mackowiak de Antczak, A. Antczak, B. Millan,
J. Bermdez, L. Sajo-Bohus
Universidad Simn Bolvar,
P. O. Box 89000, Caracas 1080A, Venezuela
Received: 2 February 2004, Accepted: 29 April 2004
108
Experimental
Instrumental
The Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis facility at the
Budapest Neutron Centre has been gradually developed
(1)
and
(2)
S=
NA
0 I 0 E .
M
( )
(3)
wX (%) m X
A S ,Y
=
= X
.
wY (%) mY
AY S , X
Provenance study of Amerindian pottery figurines with Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis
(4)
wi(%) = 100.
(5)
CL =
2 B FWHM
S t
where B is the standard deviation of the baseline (background) counts in the spectrum and FWHM is the typical
full-width-at-half-maximum value of the significant -ray
line. Detection limits for the sub-thermal neutron beam
were calculated from a spectrum of a typical 3-hour-long
measurement of a sample, supposing interference-free
peak identification (see Table 2).
The samples
PGAA analysis of 40 samples, most of them being figurine
fragments was carried out at the Budapest Research Reactor,
21 of which originated from the Los Roques Archipelago,
while 19 came from the Lake Valencia Basin. The samples
did not undergo previous restoration or cleaning process,
except mechanical removing their soil contamination. They
were simply placed into the normal sample position and
irradiated in a specific area of 2 2 cm2. In case of larger
objects, the chamber was removed, and the object was
placed into the same position relative to the detector
109
110
Table 1. Archaeological descriptions of the investigated objects.
Sample
no.
Inventory
no.
Specimen
VLB 00100
figurine leg
standardised
VLB 0075
figurine head
standardised
or imitative
3502
figurine leg
heterogeneous
AM 1067 d
figurine head
fragment
VLB 0008
figurine trunk
with leg
heterogeneous?
MA 467
figurine leg
standardised (seated
spread legs)
MA 407
figurine trunk
(female with head)
MA 711
AM 402
human figurine
10
AM 374
11
AM 393
heterogeneous
12
MA 960
figurine legs
imitative
13
VLB 1590
figurine head
heterogeneous
14
VLB 1585
figurine leg
standardised (seated)
15
MA 1572
figurine fragment
standardised
16
VLB 1601
standardised
17
MA 690 a
standardised
(seated spread legs
with canoe-shaped crest)
18
VLB 3745
imitative
19
VLB 1584
standardised
20
VLB 1415
standardised
21
VLB 8843
standardised
22
VLB 8843
standardised
23
VLB 20517
figurine leg
standardised
24
MA 1836
standardised
25
VLB D-33
standardised
26
VLB 20518
standardised
27
AM 476
figurine trunk
heterogeneous
standardised
imitative
(seated spread legs with
inverted canoe-shaped crest)
heterogeneous
(standing without crest threedimensional anatomical figure)
Provenance study of Amerindian pottery figurines with Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis
111
Table 1. Continued.
Sample
no.
Inventory
no.
Specimen
28
MA 564
figurine leg
imitative
29
MA 564
female figurine
standardised (seated
bent-knee, deformed head)
30
VLB 20519
standardised
31
MA 358
figurine head
imitative
32
AM 552
figurine legs
standardised
33
VLB D16
standardised
34
VLB 58579
imitative
35
VLB 58565
imitative
36
VLB 58574
imitative
37
AM 376
figurine
standardised (seated
bent-knee, red top
deformed head)
38
AM 418
figurine
39
AM 1508
40
MA 371
figurine
standardised (standing
straight legs with plain crest)
standardised
heterogeneous (standing
without crest threedimensional anatomical figure)
Conclusions
In this paper, we introduced the Prompt Gamma Activation
Analysis, an absolutely non-destructive analytical method,
which is applicable in investigation of pre-Columbian
pottery figurines. We were able to determine all the majorand some interesting trace components of the bulk material
with satisfying precision. Searching for characteristic
112
Table 2a. Detection limits and major components of two characteristic samples originated from Valencia Lake Basin and Los Roques,
consequently.
w%
H2O
Na2O
MgO
Al2O3
SiO2
K2O
CaO
TiO2
MnO
Fe2O3
Det. lim.
0.004
0.02
0.24
0.12
0.18
0.03
0.16
0.01
0.008
0.02
1.90.2
16.90.3
641.5
3.650.07
1.610.06
0.450.02 0.0480.002
5.50.1
MA 467
2.00.1
14.20.2
661.5
2.660.05
1.320.04
0.580.03 0.0640.001
4.40.1
4.790.05 3.030.05
Table 2b. Detection limits and trace components of two characteristic samples originated from Valencia Lake Basin and Los Roques,
consequently.
g/g
Det. lim.
Cl
Sc
Cr
Sm
Gd
0.06
16
60
0.02
0.02
VLB00100
52.80.5
1245
222
12611
20411
5.830
6.90.3
MA 467
37.50.3
3680120
121
724
36720
4.10.1
4.60.2
References
Provenance study of Amerindian pottery figurines with Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis
11. Rvay Zs, Molnr GL (2003) Standardisation of the prompt
gamma activation analysis method. Radiochim Acta
91:361369
113