Juan Morales

We present absolute geomagnetic intensities from iron smelting furnaces discovered at the metallurgical site of Korsimoro, Burkina Faso. Up to now, archaeologists recognized four different types of furnaces based on different construction methods, which were related to four subsequent time periods. Additionally, radiocarbon ages obtained from charcoal confine the studied furnaces to ages ranging from 700–1700 AD, in good agreement with the archaeologically determined time periods for each type of furnace. Archaeointensity results reveal three main groups of Arai diagrams. The first two groups contain specimens with either linear Arai diagrams, or slightly curved diagrams or two phases of magnetization. The third group encompasses specimens with strong zigzag or curvature in their Arai diagrams. Specimens of the first two groups were accepted after applying selection criteria to guarantee the high quality of the results. Our data compared to palaeosecular variation curves show a similar decreasing trend between 900–1500 AD. However, they reveal larger amplitudes at around 800 AD and 1650 AD than the reference curves and geomagnetic field models. Furthermore, they agree well with archaeomagnetic data from Mali and Senegal around 800 AD and with volcanic data around 1700 AD.

AMS dating of cave art located in the Taltal district, on the coast of the Atacama Desert in Chile, produced dated of 7882 ± 160 AP (7022-6509 BC 68%, 95% 7172-6412 BC) placing it in the Early/Middle Archaic period. This finding is further supported by archaeomagnetic dates on samples from the same panel, wich produced three time intervals all consistent with the AMS dates: 9132-9065 BC , 6492-6426 BC and 5203-5114 B.C. (65% confidence). Techno-economic analysis of the cave paintings suggests the Taltal area was an important Archaic settlement cluster, inhabited by different groups who were fully adapted to the coastal bioregion and who shared a common symbolic identity. The color red, produced from hematite, clays and probably local shrubs as churco, played a crucial part in the realization of animal metaphors and socially shared marine scenes as well as in the construction and interpretation of space.

This book addresses the multiethnic neighborhood center of Teopancazco in the southeastern sector of Teotihuacan. Through archaeometrical analyses, different materials are analysed to address their manufacture processes as well as the proveniences.