Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Economic Implications Of Lithic Technological Organization

Tulane University, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

A central goal of archaeology is to understand the process which led to the development of large scale socially stratified societies which characterize the world today. What are the mechanisms, economic and otherwise which led to the successful functioning and integration of large groups of individuals? The goal of this project is to gain insight into their development. Under the guidance of Dr. Marcello Canuto (PI), Rachel A. Horowitz (co-PI) will analyze lithic and ceramic materials from the site of Callar Creek Quarry, Belize. The materials which will be analyzed were collected in investigations from 2011-2013 directed by Ms. Horowitz. Callar Creek Quarry, located near the Belize/Guatemala border in western Belize, is a source of raw materials for the production of stone tools. The quarry was used by ancient Maya living nearby from roughly 2000 BC - AD 1000. The study of quarry materials will examine the ancient Maya economy; how commodities were exchanged among the Maya is poorly understood. Recent research has suggested that different types of objects circulated through a variety of exchange mechanisms under the control of various individuals. For example, elite individuals are thought to have controlled access to jade, while food is thought to have been widely available. The project will examine how chert resources functioned in the ancient Maya economy to see the role of chert commodities in the ancient Maya economy. The nature of Maya economic organization is important for several reasons. This study in particular will increase our understanding of the role of elite and non-elite individuals in the Maya economy and examine how hinterland areas, or those areas distant from major cities, were integrated into a regional economy. The role of hinterland residents is important because in an increasingly globalized economy, the integration of hinterland individuals becomes necessary. This project examines the ancient Maya economy from a unique angle, that of lithic materials. The extraction of lithic raw materials is generally an understudied segment of lithic technology in Mesoamerica. This research will seek to have a broader impact, both within the community in which the research is performed, and within the United States. The information produced in this research will be disseminated through public presentations in Belize, which are attended by scholars from a variety of countries, local residents interested in archaeology, and tour guides who disseminate the information to tourists. Presentations in the United States will occur at local, regional, and professional conferences. Publication of the research and its conclusions will occur in peer reviewed journals. The raw data from the investigations will be posted on the internet using tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record) so that the information is accessible to the general public. This project will prepare Ms. Horowitz for her career as an archaeologist. In addition to furthering the education of the co-PI, undergraduate students attending a field school in Belize will be instructed about lithics and the analysis of lithic technology. Lithic analysis is a tangible archaeological skill which can be utilized both in the students? further studies and in commercial archaeology.