Preliminary chemical composition study of pre-colonial ceramics from Pantanal Sul Mato-Grossense by neutron activation analysis

Trace element concentration of potsherds from two archaeological sites was measured by neutron activation analysis. The archaeological sites are located in the flood plains of Paraguay River in the heart of South America in a singular area of natural preservation called Pantanal. Archaeological studies in this region began in 1990, with the classification of c.a. 200 sites. These archaeological sites present a large amount of ceramic material not only on the surface but also along a depth profile, where the most antique dating is 2.640 B.P. Discriminant Analysis was applied in the data treatment in order to obtain more conclusive information. The measured elements were Na, Lu, U, Yb, La, Th, Cr, Cs, Sc, Rb, Fe, Eu, Ce, Hf, and Tb. The composition analysis results enable to attribute a significant distinction to potsherds coming from the archaeological site MSCP- 71 and MS-CP-61. Both sites were characterized as long term settlements of great importance to the study of the ancient population that inhabited this area. (author)