Preclassic Obsidian Procurement and Utilization at the Maya Site of Colha, Belize

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
David O. Brown ◽  
Meredith L. Dreiss ◽  
Richard E. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Classic Period ◽  
Source Distribution ◽  
Broad Distribution ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Edxrf Analysis ◽  
Early Use ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Maya Site ◽  
San Martín ◽  
Obsidian Source

Abstract This study explores the early use of obsidian at the Maya site of Colha in northern Belize and the implications that variations in source distribution have for the site and its regional connections. Energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis of 104 specimens of obsidian from Preclassic contexts at the site identified El Chayal obsidian as the most common overall followed closely by that from San Martin Jilotepeque. Ixtepeque obsidian, not common in many Preclassic assemblages, was also strongly represented. The results revealed a Middle Preclassic dependence on San Martin obsidian gradually diminishing through the Preclassic to the Classic period, when San Martin all but disappears from the site. A corresponding increase in El Chayal obsidian use through time at Colha coincides with the rise of Kaminaljuyu in the Guatemalan highlands. Analysis of the obsidian by context indicated that El Chayal obsidian dominated in architectural and ritual deposits while Ixtepeque obsidian was the most common in workshops. San Martin accounted for a slightly greater percentage than El Chayal obsidian in middens, with Ixtepeque materials notably less common. The data indicate that Colha was connected to a broad distribution network from the Middle Preclassic onward, and that obsidian source variability was greater during the Preclassic than the subsequent Classic period.

scholarly journals ANCIENT MAYA ECONOMY: LITHIC PRODUCTION AND EXCHANGE AROUND CEIBAL, GUATEMALA

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Aoyama
Keyword(s):  
Classic Period ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Preclassic Period ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Diachronic Analysis ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Lithic Artifacts ◽  
San Martín

AbstractThis article discusses the results of my diachronic analysis of lithic artifacts collected around Ceibal, Guatemala, in order to elucidate one aspect of long-term changing patterns in the pre-Columbian Maya economic systems and warfare. The importation of large polyhedral obsidian cores and local production of prismatic blades began as the result of sociopolitical development in Ceibal during the early Middle Preclassic Real-Xe phase. El Chayal obsidian was heavily used during the early Middle Preclassic period, while San Martín Jilotepeque was the principal source in the late Middle Preclassic, Late Preclassic, and Terminal Preclassic periods, and El Chayal once more became the major source in Ceibal during the Classic period. There is increasing evidence of the production and use of chert and obsidian points in the central part of Ceibal during the Late and Terminal Classic periods, indicating elites' direct involvement in warfare. Although the spear or dart points were predominant weapons in Classic Maya warfare, the increase in both chert small unifacial points and obsidian prismatic blade points in Ceibal points to bow-and-arrow technology by the Terminal Classic period.

MORTUARY RITUALS AND CRANIAL MODIFICATIONS AT CEIBAL: FROM THE EARLY MIDDLE PRECLASSIC TO THE TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIOD

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 305-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Palomo ◽  
Takeshi Inomata ◽  
Daniela Triadan
Keyword(s):  
Public Spaces ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Late Classic ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Ceramic Vessels ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Maya Site ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractSkeletal remains excavated from the lowland Maya site of Ceibal, representing approximately 117 individuals, provide significant data for the study of changes in bodily treatments and mortuary practices from 1000b.c.toa.d.900. The early Middle Preclassic residents of Ceibal apparently did not bury their dead inside residential structures, which represents a burial practice different from those found at contemporaneous Belizean sites. During this time, tabular erect cranial deformations were found among possible local residents. Sacrificial burials were present by the end of this period, but skeletal remains of violent rituals deposited in public spaces increased from the Middle Preclassic to the Late Preclassic. During the Late Preclassic, tabular erect cranial deformations coexisted with tabular oblique shapes. The Classic period witnessed a prevalence of tabular oblique forms, which were probably tied to local residents. The common placement of the dead under house floors and the preference of ceramic vessels as burial goods also indicate Ceibal's strong affinities with other parts of the Maya lowlands during the Late Classic period. During the Terminal Classic period, there was a resurgence in the placement of sacrificial burials in public spaces and tabular erect cranial deformations were found in possible non-local individuals.

Trace Element Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from Three Shell Midden Sites in the Littoral Zone, Chiapas, Mexico

1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred W. Nelson ◽  
Barbara Voorhies
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Activation Analysis ◽  
Activation Analysis ◽  
Neutron Activation ◽  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Trace Element Analysis ◽  
Late Period ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
X Ray ◽  
San Martín ◽  
Obsidian Source

Forty-two obsidian artifacts from the Chantuto Zone, Chiapas, Mexico, have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis, and fifteen artifacts were reanalyzed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. These artifacts date to the Chantuto phase (3000-2000 B.C.), late in the Archaic period, and to a later period or periods. These analyses have made it possible to compare the two methods of analysis and also have made it possible to assign an obsidian source to each artifact. It has been shown that the majority of the obsidian originated from Tajumulco, with smaller amounts coming from El Chayal during the Chantuto phase and from El Chayal, San Martin Jilotepeque, and Pachuca during the late period.

SHIFTING SOCIAL RELATIONS DURING THE TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIOD (ca. a.d. 810–950/1000): CERAMICS FROM THE LOWLAND MAYA SITE OF UCANAL

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Jean-Baptiste LeMoine ◽  
Christina T. Halperin
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Late Classic ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Economic Networks ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Maya Site ◽  
Political Economic

Abstract The end of the Classic period was a tumultuous moment in Maya history, not only because the power of many dominant political centers waned, but because the ways in which elites and non-elites related to each other were increasingly called into question. To understand the nature of changing social relations in the southern Maya lowlands during this time, this study examines the distribution and provenance of decorated ceramics during the Late Classic (ca. a.d. 600–810) and Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 810–950/1000) periods from the archaeological site of Ucanal, Peten, Guatemala. Comparisons of ceramics from different households across the site reveal that differences in access to decorated and imported ceramics decreased between these periods, suggesting that socioeconomic distinctions leveled out over time. In turn, chemical analysis of ceramics using a portable X-ray fluorescence instrument reveals that the site shifted its political-economic networks, with greater ties to the Petexbatun and Usumacinta regions and continued ties with the Upper Belize Valley.

scholarly journals Obsidian Source Use Within the Alföld Linear Pottery culture in Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmara H. Werra ◽  
Richard E. Hughes ◽  
Marek Nowak ◽  
Marián Vizdal ◽  
Lýdia Gačková
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Glass ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
East Central Europe ◽  
East Central ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Edxrf Analysis ◽  
Source Use ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Obsidian Source

This paper reports the results of non-destructive energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis of 186 obsidian artifacts from eight archaeological sites attributable to the Alföld Linear Pottery Culture (c. 5600-4900 cal BC). This is the largest instrument-based study yet conducted and reported for Alföld Linear Pottery Culture (ALPC) artifacts from Slovakia, where ALPC chipped lithic assemblages are almost entirely composed of obsidian items. Results show that all obsidian artifacts analyzed were manufactured exclusively from a volcanic glass of the Carpathian 1 chemical type, the source of which has been localised in Slovakia. This chemical variety of obsidian appears to have been the most important volcanic glass used by prehistoric communities in East-Central Europe during the Neolithic.

Toroidally Shaped HOPG Crystals as Strongly Focusing Bragg Reflectors of Characteristic X-ray Tube Radiation for EDXRF Analysis

1994 ◽  
pp. 523-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Beckhoff ◽  
B. Kanngießer ◽  
J. Scheer ◽  
W. Swoboda ◽  
J. Laursen
Keyword(s):  
Bragg Reflectors ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Edxrf Analysis

scholarly journals Case Study On The Relationships Between Soil Contents Of Some Harmful Chemical Elements Determined By Different Equipment

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Rimantė Zinkutė ◽  
Ričardas Taraškevičius
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Linear Equations ◽  
Atomic Emission ◽  
Energy Dispersive ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Edxrf Analysis

Comparison of total contents of Ba, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sn, Pb, V, Zn, Al, Ca, Fe, Mg determined in topsoil of central part of Vilnius by optical atomic emission spectrophotometry (OAES) with respective contents determined by energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), analysis of their correlation and linear relationship with and without outliers are the tasks of research. For most elements, except Ca, Sn, Ba, the contents determined by EDXRF are significantly lower and less variable. They can be predicted according to OAES-contents using linear equations. After elimination of outliers for all elements the correlation is significant at p<0.05.

Incipient Maya Burnt-Lime Technology: Characterization and Chronological Variations in Preclassic Plaster, Stucco and Mortar at Nakbe, Guatemala

1996 ◽  
Vol 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric F. Hansen ◽  
Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro ◽  
Richard D. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Critical Time ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Burnt Lime ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Random Aggregate ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Maya Site

ABSTRACTPatterned technological behaviors in the production and use of burnt-lime products can be characterized using optical microscopy and image analysis of pétrographie thin-sections to determine the texture (supplemented by X-ray diffraction analysis). Variations in technological styles have been identified in 21 samples from the ancient Maya site of Nakbe, Petén, Guatemala dating to the Middle Preclassic (1,000 B. C. - 300 B. C.) and Late Preclassic (300 B. C. - 150 A. D.) periods. Middle Preclassic floors exhibit a chaotic texture with a highly random aggregate particle size. Late Preclassic modeled stucco or painted fragments have a well-sorted texture with a low acid-insoluble content (<2%). Load -bearing mortar dating from the early Late Preclassic has a matrix with a high acid insoluble content (>15%), the major phases being quartz (-10%) and clays (∼5%). The variations correlate both with the time of occurrence and the function of the end-product. These issues of construction methods and levels of technology contribute data to aid our understanding of cultural development in this area at a critical time when the Maya were formulating power structures.

Monumental Landscapes, Changing Ideologies, and Political Histories in the Mopan Valley

2020 ◽  
pp. 290-312
Author(s):  
M. Kathryn Brown ◽  
Jason Yaeger
Keyword(s):  
Political Development ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
The Political ◽  
Late Classic ◽  
Monumental Architecture ◽  
Sociopolitical Organization ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Key Sites ◽  
Divine Kingship

In Chapter 14, Brown and Yaeger discuss the sociopolitical organization of several key sites in the Mopan Valley from the early Middle Preclassic through the end of the Late Classic period. Through an examination of monumental architecture, public art, and ritual practices, the authors describe the political development over this 1,600-year period beginning with Early Xunantunich, the first major political center beginning in the early Middle Preclassic, to the latest, Classic Xunantunich, which was abandoned in the 9th century. The centers of Actuncan and Buenavista del Cayo filled a vacuum in the valley in the intervening centuries, playing major roles on the political landscape during the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods, respectively. The authors trace how political authority and ideology became more centralized and the institutions of divine kingship developed as each center succeeded one another. It is clear from the data presented in this chapter that monumental constructions are at the forefront of our understanding of the development of the political landscape in the Mopan Valley, a landscape where ritual and religion played key roles in the rise of complexity.

Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Analysis as a Reliable Nondestructive Industrial Tool

1979 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 157-161
Author(s):  
L. E. Miller ◽  
H. J. Abplanalp
Keyword(s):  
Alloy Composition ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Nondestructive Analysis ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Roughness Effects ◽  
Destructive Sampling ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Past ◽  
Edxrf Analysis ◽  
Similar Chemical

For the past several years the Boeing Aerospace Company has been implementing advanced nondestructive chemical analysis methods to improve product reliability and reduce material inspection costs. Previous testing of incoming material for conformance to vendor test reports or of production materials for verification of alloy composition, had consisted of either time-consuming destructive testing or nondestructive chemical spot testing, which often was insensitive to differences between alloys of similar chemical properties. Beginning in 1974, development of EDXRF techniques was initiated to provide a rapid nondestructive analysis capability for both laboratory and factory use. For materials containing elements easily excited by EDXRF methods, costly destructive sampling and testing can be avoided. Generally, chips, wire, barstock, sheet or plate can be analyzed using an annular radioactive source. The uniformity of the X-ray flux diminishes sample geometry and surface roughness effects.

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