Establishing a New Database for Chert Raw Material Sources in Northern Belize
Author(s): Alana Pengilley
Year: 2025
Summary
This is an abstract from the "Current Methods and Applications to Chert Sourcing: Case Studies from Across the Americas" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
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Lithic raw material quality and abundance played a direct role in the decisions of past tool makers, the type of production, and the organization of exchange networks. The results of raw material procurement influenced the tool making process, whether this be the quality of material accessible to an individual or the availability of raw material. Reference<b> </b>databases that contain information on potential source areas are the backbone of sourcing research and are an essential tool to develop within any new area. While sampling of chert sources is often fraught with challenges, thoroughly sampling potential sources is a necessary first step in understanding how raw material availability affected the way tool producers interacted with the landscape. This paper will discuss the development of a reference database of chert raw material sources across northern Belize, comprising both petrographic and geochemical data of primary and secondary source areas. Additionally, this paper will discuss the application and results of NAA, LA-ICP-MS, and XRF on a select number of geological sources of chert from northeast Belize. The primary goal here is to determine the best approach to sourcing chert in a region which has largely been understudied in terms of chert sourcing research.
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Cite this Record
Establishing a New Database for Chert Raw Material Sources in Northern Belize. Alana Pengilley. Presented at The 90th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2025 ( tDAR id: 510250)
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Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 51765