Tripping Through the Underworld: Exploring Maya Ritual through Absorbed Residues in the Belize Valley
Author(s): Adam King; Terry Powis; Jaime Awe; Gyles Iannone; Nilesh Gaikwad
Year: 2018
Summary
While absorbed residues are widely used to explore subsistence-related questions, more recent work has used them to examine the use of elite and ritual beverages. In this paper, we explore absorbed residues found in ceramic containers and bone tubes recovered from caves, burials, and caches in the Belize Valley. The ceramic vessels presumably held liquids consumed or otherwise used in rituals in these settings, while the bone tubes delivered substances to participants in those rituals as enemas. Results of our analyses shed light on the kinds of substances used by the Classic Maya in their rituals associated with the underworld.
Cite this Record
Tripping Through the Underworld: Exploring Maya Ritual through Absorbed Residues in the Belize Valley. Adam King, Terry Powis, Jaime Awe, Gyles Iannone, Nilesh Gaikwad. Presented at The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC. 2018 ( tDAR id: 444638)
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Keywords
General
Archaeometry & Materials Analysis: Residue Analysis
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Maya: Preclassic
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Ritual and Symbolism
Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica: Maya lowlands
Spatial Coverage
min long: -94.197; min lat: 16.004 ; max long: -86.682; max lat: 21.984 ;
Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 20634