What the Shell? Taphonomic and Cultural Modifications of Freshwater and Marine Shell from the Upper Belize River Valley

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Zooarchaeological analysis of both freshwater and marine shells from the Upper Belize River Valley is important to interpreting Ancient Maya daily lives. Shell analysis allows us to examine dietary practices and understand economy and trade between Belize Valley sites. This poster presents the results of an analysis of over 42,000 freshwater and 1,200 marine shells recovered from the sites of Baking Pot, Cahal Pech, Lower Dover, and Xunantunich in Western Belize. First, we report the results of taxonomic analyses at all sites, showing proportional differences of shell concentrations within the region. Second, we discuss patterns of taphonomic damage to jute, Pachychilus sp., versus culturally worked jute materials. Third, we present the marine shell working process as identified through evidence of shell bead production stages and shell debitage. Combined these analyses provide a holistic review of an often overlooked and typically only quantified category of fauna in Maya zooarchaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25149