Chipped Stone Tool Use in the Maya Coastal Economies of Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Transcription

1 3 AQ < Qe Chipped Stone Tool Use in the Maya Coastal Economies of Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize William James Stemp BAR International Series

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 The History of Maya Lithic Studies 2 CHAPTER 2 The Occupation Histories of Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 5 Marco Gonzalez 5 San Pedro 9 CHAPTER 3 Tool Typology for Lithics from Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 13 The Colha Lithic Chronological Sequence 13 Middle Preclassic 13 T-form adzes: 13 Wedge-form bifaces: 13 Celtiform bifaces: 13 Late Preclassic 16 Large oval bifaces: 16 Tranchet-bit bifaces: 16 Stemmed macroblades: 17 Early Classic 17 Late Classic 17 Stemmed blades: 17 General-utility bifaces: 18 Early Postclassic 18 Side-notched points or thin bifaces: 18 Lenticular lozenge, and bipointed bifaces: 19 Late Postclassic 19 Small side-notched projectile point (SSNP): 19 Additional Lithic Tool Classes at Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 19 Bifaces 19 Biface preforms: 19 Re-used and recycled bifaces: 19 Stemmed thin bifaces: 20 Stemmed thick bifaces: 20 Shouldered thin bifaces:, 20 Shouldered thick bifaces: ' 20 Bipointed thin bifaces: 20 Miscellaneous bifaces and biface fragments 20 Miscellaneous thin biface fragments: 20 Miscellaneous thick biface fragments: 20 Biface edge flakes: 20 Hammerstones 21 Flakes and flake tools 21 Cortical and non-cortical flakes: 21

3 Macroflakes: 22 Bifacial thinning flakes or resharpening flakes: 22 Retouched flakes: 23 Denticulated flakes: 23 Blades and blade tools 23 Blades: 23 Retouched blades: 23 Microblades: 23 Macroblades: 23 Retouched macroblades: 24 Drills (microdrills) and borers on blades or flakes: 24 Blocky fragments: 24 Burin spalls: 24 Heat spalls or heat-fractured fragments: 24 Flake and blade cores and core fragments: 24 Core tablets or platform rejuvenation flakes: 25 Other tool types 25 Burins, gravers/incisors, perforators, scrapers, whittlers: 25 Special tools/finds 25 CHAPTER 4 Lithic Raw Material Types from Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 26 Lithic Raw Material Types 26 Chert-bearing zone (CBZ) chert: 26 'Black' chert: 28 Other chert: 29 Chalcedony: ' 29 Quartzite and slate: 30 Damage to Lithic Raw Materials 30 Chemical alteration, patination and 'bright spots': 30 Thermal alteration of stone: 31 CHAPTER 5 The Lithic Assemblage from San Pedro 33 The Lithic Artifacts 33 Oval bifaces: 33 General-utility bifaces: 34 Re-used and recycled bifaces: 36 Lenticular bifaces: 37 Miscellaneous thin biface fragments: 37 Miscellaneous thick biface fragments: 37 Biface edge fragments:. 39 Flakes: '. 39 Bifacial thinning flakes: 40 Retouched flakes: 40 Denticulated flakes: 40 Burinated flakes: 41 Large flake hammerstones: 41 Blades: 41 Retouched blades: 41 Stemmed blades: 41 Microblades:. 42 Macroblades: 42 Blocky fragments: 42

4 Core fragments: 42 Cores: 43 Heat spalls and potlids: 43 Scrapers: 43 The Weight of Raw Materials from San Pedro 44 Lithic Evidence of Spanish Contact 44 CHAPTER 6 The Lithic Assemblage from Marco Gonzalez 46 The Lithic Artifacts 46 Oval bifaces: 46 General-utility bifaces: 46 Biface preforms: 54 Re-used and recycled bifaces: 54 T-form adzes: 55 Lenticular bifaces: 55 Stemmed thin bifaces: 55 Shouldered thin bifaces: 56 Shouldered thick bifaces: 56 Bipointed thin bifaces: 58 Side-notched thin bifaces: 58 Small side-notched points (SSNP): 58 Miscellaneous thin biface fragments: 58 Miscellaneous thick biface fragments: 59 Biface edge fragments: 59 Flakes: 59 Macroflakes: 60 Bifacial thinning flakes: 60 Retouched flakes: 61 Blades: 61 Stemmed blades: 62 Retouched blades: 64 Macroblades: 65 Stemmed macroblades: 65 Retouched macroblades: 65 Drills on blades or flakes: 65 Blocky fragments: 65 Core fragments: 66 Cores: 66 Heat spalls and potlids: 66 Scrapers: 66 Special tools/finds: 66 The Weight of Raw Materials from Marco Gonzalez 67 Thermally Altered Lithics From San Pedro and Marco Gonzalez 68 Patinated Lithics from San Pedro and Marco Gonzalez 69 Chalcedony at San Pedro and Marco Gonzalez 69 CHAPTER 7 The Lithics in Context: Spatial and Chronological Distributions 71 Lots, Deposits and Chronology 71

5 Natural and Cultural Processes and Artifact Context on Ambergris Caye 71 The San Pedro Lithic Assemblage by Location/Property 72 Alamilla property: 72 Elvi' s property: 72 Nunez property: 73 Rosalita's property: 73 Sands Hotel/Parham property: 73 The San Pedro Lithic Assemblage by Chronological Periods 73 Late Classic to Middle Postclassic: 74 Late Postclassic to Historic: 74 The Marco Gonzalez Lithic Assemblage by Location/Structure 75 Structure 2: 76 Structure 12: 76 Structure 14: 76 Between Structures 12 and 14: 77 Structure 16: 77 Structures 11, 21, 27, and 28: 78 Operation 4(Structure 12): 78 Operation 6: 78 Operation 7: 79 Operation 8: 79 The Marco Gonzalez Lithic Assemblage by Chronological Periods 79 Late to Terminal Classic: 80 Early Postclassic: 80 Postclassic periods: 81 Middle Postclassic: 82 Middle to Late Postclassic: 82 'Postclassic': 83 Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro Lithic Assemblages Summary 84 CHAPTER 8 Lithic Technology and Technological Change 85 Introduction 85 Technological Change 85 Functional field: 85, Feedback: 85 Producer pressure: 86 Technical Choices, Tool Properties, and Behaviour 86 'Design Theory' and Stone Tools 87 Stone tool design strategies on southern Ambergris Caye: 87 Tool Forms, Functions and Characteristics. 88 Task-related characteristics:. 89 Reliability: 89 Maintainability: 89 Flexibility, versatility, and multifunctionality:. 90 Technology Theory 91

6 Technology and environment: 91 CHAPTER 9 Lithic Consumption in a Complex Society 92 The Curation Conundrum 92 Introduction: 92 Curation criteria: 92 Curation, Expediency, and Opportunistic Behaviour on the Caye 92 Introduction: 92 Expediency vs. opportunistic behaviour: 93 Lithic behaviour on the southern end of the Caye: 93 Curation and raw material:.' 95 Curation and use-life: 95 Conservation and curation: 96 Curation and transport: 98 CHAPTER 10 Marco Gonzalez, San Pedro and Coastal Trade 99 Maya Coastal Trade 99 Introduction: 99 The roles of Maya coastal trade: a summary: 99 Trade and Exchange Models 99 Introduction: 99 Down-the-line exchange model: 100 'Port-of-trade' model: 100 Middle-man and 'transshipment point' models: 101 Marine-based Subsistence and Coastal Trade ; 101 Marine resources: 101 Regional and Long-distance Maya Trade on Ambergris Caye 103 Marine resources: 103 Salt: 103 Middle-man and long-distance trade: 104 Marco Gonzalez: Coastal port: 105 The Economics of Lithic Production, Consumption and Exchange: Evidence from Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 106 Stone tool production in Northern Belize: 106 Stone tool consumption and exchange at Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro: 106 The control and organization of lithic craft-specialization in Northern Belize:. 109 Lithic Exchange in Northern Belize 110 Local and utilitarian vs. long-distance and prestige goods: 110 Stone tool transport and exchange: 112 CHAPTER 11 Use-wear Analysis: History and Background 113 Techniques for the Determination of Lithic Tool Function 113 Ethnographic analogy: 113 Experiments: J13 Microwear analysis: Early practitioners: 113

7 2. Semenov's traceology: Keeley and the 'High-Power' approach: The 'Low-Power' approach: 115 Scanning electron microscopy [SEM] and residue analysis: 116 Quantification of microwear: 117 Mechanics of Polish Formation 118 Attrition: The 'Abrasion' model: 118 Additive: The 'Frictional-Fusion' theory: 119 Additive: The 'Amorphous Silica Gel' model: 119 Additional Use-Wear Traits 120 Edge-rounding: 120 The'Edge-row' attribute: 120 Weight loss and edge damage: 120 Abrasives and edge damage: 121 Striations: 121 CHAPTER 12 Experimentation and Use-Wear Analysis 123 Experimental Use-Wear: Replication of Materials and Mechanics 123 Methodology 123 Equipment: 123 Cleaning procedures: 124 My experimental program: 124 Low-Power Microscopy: Edge Damage Traits by Motion 125 Longitudinal actions: Cutting, slicing (one-way movement), and sawing (reciprocal movement): 125 Transverse actions: Scraping, shaving, planing, and whittling: 125 Circular actions: Boring, drilling, piercing, and perforating: 126 Chopping, adzing, digging, and hoeing: 127 Low-Power Microscopy: Edge Damage Traits by Contact Material 127 General observations: 127 Soft materials (meat, fresh and dry hide, skin, fish scales): 128 Medium to hard materials (tanned hide, woody plants, soft \ and fresh woods): 128 Hard materials (antler, bone, stone, shell, ceramic, metal, i hardwood): 128 'High-power Approach': Characteristics of Experimental Micropolishes 130 General observations: 130 Experimental Worked Materials 130 Wood: 130 Bone: 131 Fresh hide: 132 Dry hide: 132 Antler: 133 Horn: Fish: 134 Shell: 134

8 Meat: 135 Stone: 135 Pottery (Ceramic): 136 Feather: 136 Plants: 136 Reed and woody plants: 137 Hafting traces: 137 Prehension traces: 138 Additional Factors Affecting Use-wear Patterns at Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro 139 Use-wear and tool re-use and recycling: 139 Use-wear and lithic raw material: 139 CHAPTER 13 Environmental Exploitation: Flora and Fauna 141 Faunal Remains 141 Fish: 141 Marine molluscs: 142 Other marine animals: 143 Terrestrial animals and birds: 143 Plant Use 143 Evidence for agriculture?: 143 Other plant use: 144 Tree-cropping: 144 CHAPTER 14 San Pedro Tools with Use-Wear 146 Use-Wear Analysis, Raw Material and Tool Types at \ San Pedro 146 Use-Wear, Location and Time of Occupation 146 Spatial distribution of use-wear evidence: 147 Chronological distribution and use-wear: 148 CHAPTER 15 Marco Gonzalez Tools with Use-Wear 150 Use-Wear Analysis, Raw Material and Tool Types at Marco Gonzalez 150 Use-Wear, Location and Time of Occupation 150 Spatial distribution of use-wear evidence: 152 Chronological distribution and use-wear: 152 CHAPTER 16 i, Summary and Conclusions 154 REFERENCES CITED 161