Stone-Tool Production and Exchange in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: the Consumer Perspective from Pulltrouser Swamp, Belize

Citation: McAnany Patricia A. (1989) Stone-Tool Production and Exchange in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: the Consumer Perspective from Pulltrouser Swamp, Belize. American Antiquity 54(2) (RSS)
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Stone-Tool Production and Exchange in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: the Consumer Perspective from Pulltrouser Swamp, Belize
Download: http://www.jstor.org/stable/281710
Tagged: Anthropology (RSS) chert (RSS), stone tool (RSS), Colha (RSS), Pulltrouser Swamp (RSS), debitage (RSS)

Summary

Context

In this article, McAnany illustrates of the procurement and production of lithic in Pulltronuser Sawmp of the Eastern Maya Lowland. There are two main raw materials, Chert and Chalcedony. Among them, Chert is dominant than Chalcedony, and it came from other region, Colha. Because there is no possible quarry near Pulltrouser Swamp and the shape of artifacts and relating debitage demonstrate that they were not produced in the site. Rather they were re-sharpened and refurbished in the site. And main reduction and making process was played in Colha. Therefore the Pulltronuser was one of consumers of Colha.

Methods and Results

To demonstrate the inflow of the artifacts from the outside and figure out the making process in the site, the author analyzed raw materials and debitage and compared each attributes within the site as well as with other region, Colha.

1.Origin of the raw material of artifact within Pulltronuser Sawmp: there are two main raw materials, Chert and Chalcedony in the site. And geographical study shows that most of the Chert nodules are located near Colha. There are two types of Chert in the Colha. And the Chert artifacts in Pulltronuse Sawmp came from Colha

2.Comparison shape of Chert with Colha: the shape of Chert articfacts and debitage in the two regions is quite different. Colha’s are flake, core, and manufacturing failures from the making oval bifaces, prismatic blades, heavy celts, and other eccentrics. And the debitages show the lots of primary manufacturing and less effort of reuse of failures which “did not undergo a protracted disposal cycle”. It depicts the direct procurement. Pulltronuser’s are mostly tools (biface and blade) and their shape is highly standardized and formal type. The cortex ratio of the core is small and the amount and size of debitages are small. And the trace of refurbish and recycling such as platform type of “bifacial” and “simple”, polish, and edge damage can be seen. It means indirect system of procurement.

3.Comparison between Chert and Chalcedony within Pulltronuse Sawmp: the artifacts made by two main raw materials are compared with morphological (typological) and statistical methods (SAS statistical package) which are supported by experimental assemblages.

(1)Most of the tools are made by Chert which came from Colha. The number of Chert’s tool to Chalcedony’s is 570:26.

(2)Compare to outweighing non-Colha cert and Chalcedony debitage, the Chert one is limited and restricted to flake, flake fragments, and fire-cracked debris.

a.The ratio of cores and nodules of Colha Chert is limited.

b.Length, thickness, and size: Chert’s are smaller.

c.Average value for platform and dorsal-scar: Chert’s are much higher.

d.Cortex ratio: Chert’s are significantly smaller.

e.Platform characteristics: among the four categories, the most striking difference is can be seen in bifacial and simple categories. Bifacial category is mostly occupied by Chert’s while simple is Chalcedony’s.

f.Polish: the trace of polishing is mostly existed in Chert’s.

g.Edge damage recorded by a 10 X hand lens: the ratio of it localized at Chert is much higher.

h.Discriminant analysis: the two kind artifacts with different raw materials are distinctively divided with technology.

4.Pulltronuser’s Chert tools in operation of complete phase and refurbish (re-sharpening): Colha Chert cores at Pulltronuser Swamp do not complement the finished-tool type. They underwent the stage of complete at Pulltronuser Swamp. It is also different with Chalcedony artifacts within the same region. Through the experiment of assemblage production, this hypothesis is supported. The flake debris similar to Chert’s at Pulltronuse Sawmp generated during the biface “resharpening” process and the post breakage biface “recycling”.

Theoretical and Practical Relevance

The author tries to demonstrate the possibility of exchange (or one-sided inflow) between the regions through the analysis of stone artifacts with morphological (typological) and statistical methods. In other words, he explains the people’s life strategy by lithic analysis. It looks similar to Marwick’s approach (Marwick 2013). In his article, he explains the hunter-gatherers’ adjusting strategy about ecological risk such as using resource and patch choice through the lithic assemblage.

Marwick, 2013. Multiple Optima in Hoabinhian flaked stone artifact palaeoeconomics and Palaeoecology at two archaeological sites in Northwest Thailand