The high phosphor ceramics from archaeological Dark Earth (ADE)in Amazon Region

摘要

Ceramic fragments are most conspicuous artifacts found in the Archaeological Dark Earth (ADE) soilsin Amazon region; they represent daily using potteries. The majority of the fragments are part ofsimple and few decorated potteries occurring in the A horizons of the ADE soil profile, i.e., from soilsurface up to 2 m depth. Normally they exhibit phosphor contents ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 wt. % ofP205. However at site Jabuti near to Braganca city in the Eastern Amazon on Atlantic coast line a veryinteresting ADE site has been found and archaeologically prospected. The site is ceramic-richrepresented by fragments of pots and plates exhibiting a simple decoration. The ceramic fragmentsfound here show the highest phosphor contents ever have been identified in archaeological ceramics In the Amazon region, as much as 6 to 10 wt. % of P205. They also constitute the first ceramics weidentified phosphor mineral by XRD and at the same time we got SEM good images of nice micron-scale crystals of crandallite-goyazite. Additionally SEM/EDS chemical analyses at several points andrhombohedral crystals confirm the mineral. Quartz, metakaolinite, kaolinite, mica and feldspars havebeen identified and they constitute the common minerals of the most ceramics in Amazon region.