Archaeological pottery from Nasca culture studied by Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy combined with X-ray diffraction

In the present paper, we report on a study of archaeological fragments from Nasca ceramics using Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD). By combining results obtained by these methods it is possible to quantitatively determine the paints composition, temperature and environment during the firing. The samples were collected from the Ceremonial Centre of Cahuachi in Southern coast of Peru. Raman spectroscopy allows us to determine the composition of the different pigments used in the preparation of Nasca ceramic. The results show that the composition of the white pigments is formed by rutile and anatase while the black and red pigments are formed by amorphous carbon and hematite, respectively. The Mössbauer spectra were measured at room temperature (RT) and show the presence of components associated with Fe3+ indicating an oxidizing environment during the manufacturing process of the ceramic. The analysis is complemented by data obtained by X-ray diffraction suggesting firing temperatures around 950 °C, in agreement with Raman measurements.