Dating Maya Classic Ceramics in Northwestern Belize via OSL

Summary

Twenty-four years of investigations conducted by the Maya Research Program at numerous Maya archaeological sites in northwestern Belize offers special opportunities for the investigation of the social and political dynamics at the end of the Classic period in this region. In this paper, we discuss the Late Classic time period, including rapidly increasing populations, political reorganization, declining soil quality, and expansion of agricultural systems. We discuss the specific responses that are documented in the Terminal Classic period and how the remnant populations of the Early Post-classic made use of the Classic period agricultural infrastructure. Key to these insights are a precise understanding of the temporal dynamics of the Classic Period. The IIRMES OSL analysis of Terminal Classic Maya ceramics from this area has provided a great deal of insight into bounding this time period. In addition, the IIRMES study laid the groundwork for a larger OSL analysis of Classic Maya ceramics in conjunction with the University of Glasgow and Australia Catholic University. This research illustrates the utility of OSL dating techniques in archaeological contexts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Recent Applications of Luminescence Dating in Archaeology

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