Revisiting the Correlation Between the Valdivia and San Pedro Ceramic Complexes (Based on Technological Characteristics)
Revisiting the Correlation Between the Valdivia and San Pedro Ceramic Complexes (Based on Technological Characteristics)
doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2024.52.2.037-046
A.N. Popov1, J.G. Marcos2, I.S. Zhushchikhovskaya3, A.A. Lazina1, B.V. Lazin1, Y. Kanomata4, A.N. Fedorets1, and T.A. Emelyanova5 1Far Eastern Federal University, Ayaks 10, Russky Island, Vladivostok, 690922, Russia 2Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, Campus Gustavo Galindo Velasco, Guayaquil, EC-090150, Ecuador 3Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushkinskaya 89, Vladivostok, 690001, Russia 4Tohoku University, Kawauchi 27-1, Aoba ward, Sendai, 980-8576, Japan 5Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Baltiyskaya 43, Vladivostok, 690041, Russia
This article presents the results of a study of ceramics associated with the Valdivia and San Pedro complexes at the Real Alto site, southwestern Ecuador. The test sample, studied in 2022, includes fragments of vessels from two morphological and functional groups, relating to the first two phases of the Valdivia culture (bowls and pots) and those representing the San Pedro complex (vessels with necks and a bowl). A comparative analysis was based on identified technological indicators marking various stages of pottery manufacture. Certain differences are seen in the composition of paste and in the hand-shaping of the vessels. Significant differences were revealed in surface treatment and decoration. This is evidenced by the use of colored and plain coating, high-quality solid or matte striped polishing, and complexity of decoration. Distinctive features of firing include the use of different kilns and various atmospheric modes. Parallels include broadly similar firing temperatures. The technological difference between the two morphological and functional groups of the Valdivia complex is that bowls were manufactured with more complex and labor-consuming techniques, whereas pots are technologically somewhat similar to those from San Pedro. Radiocarbon dates (4640-4450 BP) suggest that the two traditions coexisted. Differences may reflect their cultural distinctness.
Keywords: Ancient ceramics, Formative Period, Valdivia culture, San Pedro complex, Real Alto, Ecuador
