Early Modern Creole and Iberian Ceramics in Cape Verde: Non-Destructive pXRF Analysis of 16th–18th Century Pottery from Santiago Island

Archaeological research on Santiago Island (Cape Verde) offers a strategic framework for investigating ceramic material culture shaped by Iberian and African interactions during the early modern period. This study presents first-stage results from a non-destructive archaeometric analysis of pottery fragments recovered from early colonial sites and curated at the Museu de Arqueologia in Praia. Using portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), low-fired, handmade vessels associated with African technological traditions were analysed to determine their elemental composition and potential provenance. The work also focused on sugar moulds, containers used in the refining of this product, one of the most important in Atlantic colonisation. The resulting geochemical data is compared with established reference groups from the Iberian Peninsula, Atlantic Africa, and Macaronesia. Elemental variability indicates the use of diverse clay sources and production techniques, reflecting hybrid technological practices shaped by cultural interaction and provisioning constraints. These results contribute to ongoing research within the CERIBAM (Iberian Atlantic Expansion in North Africa and Macaronesia) and Palarq-funded projects, which aim to reconstruct early colonial ceramic networks and sociotechnical dynamics. By integrating archaeometric data with archaeological and historical perspectives, this study aims to demonstrate the utility of non-invasive analytical protocols for understanding ceramic technology, intercultural exchange, and Atlantic material connectivity in early Creole formations while preserving the integrity of the collections.