Preliminary Analysis of Flaked and Ground Stone from Aventura, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Household investigations at Aventura recovered several primary stone materials common in northern Belize and elsewhere in the Maya Lowlands. Chert and chalcedony is common as well as a high relative proportion of obsidian indicating households had reliable access to tool stone. Ready and reliable access suggests resilient household economies. Technological analysis shows households obtained bifacial adzes and likely resharpened them several times indicating reduction know-how. Obsidian analysis shows blade use was common and the geochemical profile of 500 artifacts indicates obsidian from highland Guatemala dominate the assemblages with a low percentage of Mexican obsidian. Overall, preliminary analysis suggests chipped stone was vital for household tasks during the Classic period generally. A comparison of household lithic inventories is also provided in terms of both flaked and ground stone to discuss household diversity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35779.0