NUKLEONIKA 2004, 49(3):107-113
Zsolt Kasztovszky1, Marlena Mackowiak de Antczak2, Andrzej Antczak2, Barbara Millan2, Judilka Bermúdez2, László Sajo-Bohus2
1 Department of Nuclear Research, Institute of Isotopes, Chemical Research Centre,
H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Thege 29-33, Hungary,
2 Universidad Simón Bolívar, P. O. Box 89000, Caracas 1080A, Venezuela
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 Simón Bolívar 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.