Temper Sands from Prehistoric Sherds Excavated at Pemrang Site on Yap and from Nearby Ngulu Atoll

Dickinson, W.R. (1982-01-01). "Temper Sands from Prehistoric Sherds Excavated at Pemrang Site on Yap and from Nearby Ngulu Atoll". Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association. 3 (0): 115–117. doi:10.7152/bippa.v3i0.11196. ISSN 0156-1316 1835-1794, 0156-1316 .

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Abstract: “Temper Sands from Prehistoric Sherds Excavated at Pemrang Site on Yap and from Nearby Ngulu Atoll” by W.R. Dickinson examines temper sands found in prehistoric pottery sherds from the Pemrang site on Yap and the Ngulu Atoll. The study focuses on assessing the origin and composition of the temper sands used in these pottery sherds through petrographic analysis.

The analysis involved eighteen sherds, with eleven from Ngulu Atoll and seven from the Pemrang site on Yap. Interestingly, the Pemrang sherds may be linked to the Marianas Plain ware or Red ware traditions. Some sherds from Ngulu were found to closely resemble Pemrang sherds despite the geographic separation of approximately 100 kilometers between the two locations. Petrographic examination revealed that while none of the sherds contained tempers traceable to the Marianas, some Ngulu sherds with broken sherd tempers were indistinguishable from Palau sherds. Other sherds are likely to have originated from Yap. A total of nine different temper types were identified among the sherds.

The study provides insights into the movement of ceramic materials and techniques across the region, suggesting a likely transport of ceramic materials from Yap to Ngulu. It also highlights hybrid tempers formed by mixing Yap metavolcanic temper with calcareous reef detritus. Most of the temper sands in the Pemrang sherds are believed to originate from common Yap bedrock or local sources, while the Ngulu sherds generally contain tempers indicative of Yap origin.