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TYPOLOGICAL AND ICONOGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF CASAS GRANDES POTTERY AT THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM by Samantha Ann Bomkamp A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2020 ProQuest Number:27960625 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ProQuest 27960625 Published by ProQuest LLC (2020). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All Rights Reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 ABSTRACT TYPOLOGICAL AND ICONOGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF CASAS GRANDES POTTERY AT THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM by Samantha Ann Bomkamp The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2020 Under the Supervision of Professor R. Jason Sherman This thesis presents the results of analyses conducted on 80 ceramic vessels from the Casas Grandes region (Chihuahua, Mexico) currently housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). This collection, most of which was donated in 1977, was accompanied with little to no provenience information, and no research has been conducted on the materials since they came to the Museum. Drawing upon published studies of Casas Grandes pottery, a detailed coding scheme was developed in order to record formal and stylistic data that could be used to classify the vessels typologically and chronologically. Fifteen different ceramic types dating to the Viejo and Medio Periods (AD 700-1475) were identified. Iconographic analysis was also conducted to determine the stylistic patterning represented in the collection, thus allowing it to be compared to similar collections at other institutions in the United States, several of which were visited as part of my research. This thesis demonstrates the significant insights that can be gained by analyzing unprovenienced museum collections. It also will allow the Casas Grandes collection to be used at the Museum or in the Milwaukee community for research, programming, and/or exhibition. ii © Copyright by Samantha Ann Bomkamp, 2020 All Rights Reserved iii To my family, especially my parents, for everything. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .......................................................................................................................viii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................xiv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................1 Brief Introduction to the Casas Grandes Region ........................................................1 The MPM Casas Grandes Collection ...........................................................................5 Research Goals ...............................................................................................................7 Significance .....................................................................................................................8 Overview of Thesis .........................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................11 History of Archaeology at Paquimé and in the Casas Grandes Region ...................11 Regional Relationships ..................................................................................................18 Casas Grandes Ceramic Studies ...................................................................................20 Iconographic Studies .....................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 3. METHODS ..................................................................................................27 Ceramic Analysis: Coding Scheme...............................................................................27 Ceramic Types ...........................................................................................................28 Ceramic Chronology ..................................................................................................31 Design Analysis...............................................................................................................33 Layout ........................................................................................................................34 Primary Layout ..........................................................................................................35 v Secondary Layout .......................................................................................................37 Over-All Layout .........................................................................................................38 Motifs .........................................................................................................................39 Effigies .............................................................................................................................42 Collection Photographs .................................................................................................42 Motif and Layout Illustrations .....................................................................................44 CHAPTER 4. DATA AND ANALYSES ............................................................................45 Typological and Chronological Analyses .....................................................................45 Typology .....................................................................................................................45 Time Periods ..............................................................................................................48 Measurements ............................................................................................................49 Iconographic Analysis ...................................................................................................54 Primary Layout ..........................................................................................................55 Secondary Layout .......................................................................................................58 Over-All Layout .........................................................................................................60 Design Motifs ..................................................................................................................63 Swirl/Scroll ................................................................................................................65 Interlocking Scroll .....................................................................................................65 Barbed ........................................................................................................................65 Stepped .......................................................................................................................66 Circle/Bull’s Eye ........................................................................................................66 Running Band of Circles ............................................................................................67 P/Club ........................................................................................................................67 vi Macaw ........................................................................................................................68 Effigies .............................................................................................................................71 Humans ......................................................................................................................72 Animals ......................................................................................................................76 Eccentric Vessels ............................................................................................................84 Design Analysis...............................................................................................................85 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................88 Summary of Analyses ....................................................................................................88 Importance of Contextual Data ....................................................................................89 Interregional Relationships ...........................................................................................90 Future Research .............................................................................................................91 Significance of Research ................................................................................................93 References Cited...................................................................................................................95