The Pocó-Saladoid connection and the first widespread technological ceramic tradition in Tropical Lowland South America

Some of the earliest ceramics in the Americas are found in Amazonia, though localised traditions become more widespread only c . 3500 cal BP with the development of Saladoid and Pocó ceramics in the Orinoco and Amazon basins, respectively. Despite stylistic affinities, these two assemblages have not been compared in detail. Here, the authors provide this missing comparative analysis, highlighting shared forms and similarities in chaîne opératoire . These findings, they argue, indicate a shared technological origin, with the spread of Pocó-Saladoid ceramics corresponding with the movement of people and the establishment of wider interactions across Amazonia and the Antilles.