@article{97ba0ec1a00d44dd8b364928315ec55e,
title = "Expedient lithic technology in complex sedentary societies: Use-wear, flake size, and edge angle on debitage from two ancient Maya sites",
abstract = "In complex sedentary societies, debitage is often ignored when archaeologists turn their attention to the functional items necessary for the completion of various tasks. Lithic production debris recovered from ancient Maya sites is very rarely examined in this regard. The use-wear analysis of debitage from Maya sites not only assists in identifying the chipped stone artifacts that served as informal, ad hoc or expedient tools, but also reveals how the tools were utilized. Use-wear analysis of the chipped chert and chalcedony debitage from two sites in Belize, namely Terminal Classic (A.D. 830 – 950) Pook's Hill and Late Postclassic-Early Spanish Colonial (ca. A.D. 1400 – 1700) San Pedro, demonstrates the important role of expedient tools in the daily lives of the ancient Maya. This study of use-wear also reveals the variation in flake use in terms of tool size and edge angle. Analysis of the debitage from Pook's Hill and San Pedro enables a more complete understanding—than would be gained from a study of finished formal tools, alone—of the larger technological, socio-economic and environmental implications of settlement in a forested river valley on the mainland versus an offshore caye.",
keywords = "Ad hoc, Ancient Maya, Complex sedentary society, Curation, Expedient, Flakes, Informal, Lithics",
author = "Stemp, {W. James} and Elizabeth Graham and Christophe Helmke and Awe, {Jaime J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Excavations at San Pedro were conducted by Elizabeth Graham (then at York University, Toronto, Canada) and David Pendergast (then at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada) and were funded by grants from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM Future Fund Today and ROM Committee for Field Archaeology/Foundation) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The 2017 excavations at San Pedro were directed by Scott Simmons (University of North Carolina) and Tracie Mayfield (University of Southern California). Funding for the stone tool analysis was provided by two Graduate McGill Major Fellowships and a Keene State College Faculty Development Grant (2017). Excavation of the Pook's Hill plazuela was conducted as a sub-program of the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance project under the direction of Dr. Jaime Awe (then Director of the Institute of Archaeology, NICH, Belize) and led by Christophe Helmke (University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark) and was supported by grants from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London (2002, 2003) and the Central Research Fund, University of London (2003), as well as the financial backing of the Pook's Hill Lodge (1999-2005). The lithic analysis was funded by a Keene State College Faculty Development Grant (2005). We would like to acknowledge the support for these projects by the Institute of Archaeology, NICH, Belize, specifically for granting permission to engage in archaeological research at both locations and for permitting export of study materials. Finally, the comments and suggestions provided by the anonymous reviews improved both the content and the overall quality of the manuscript. For this we thank them. Funding Information: Excavations at San Pedro were conducted by Elizabeth Graham (then at York University, Toronto, Canada) and David Pendergast (then at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada) and were funded by grants from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM Future Fund Today and ROM Committee for Field Archaeology/Foundation) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada . The 2017 excavations at San Pedro were directed by Scott Simmons (University of North Carolina) and Tracie Mayfield (University of Southern California). Funding for the stone tool analysis was provided by two Graduate McGill Major Fellowships and a Keene State College Faculty Development Grant (2017). Excavation of the Pook{\textquoteright}s Hill plazuela was conducted as a sub-program of the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance project under the direction of Dr. Jaime Awe (then Director of the Institute of Archaeology, NICH, Belize) and led by Christophe Helmke (University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark) and was supported by grants from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London (2002, 2003) and the Central Research Fund, University of London (2003), as well as the financial backing of the Pook{\textquoteright}s Hill Lodge (1999-2005). The lithic analysis was funded by a Keene State College Faculty Development Grant (2005). We would like to acknowledge the support for these projects by the Institute of Archaeology, NICH, Belize, specifically for granting permission to engage in archaeological research at both locations and for permitting export of study materials. Finally, the comments and suggestions provided by the anonymous reviews improved both the content and the overall quality of the manuscript. For this we thank them. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier Inc.",
year = "2021",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101243",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "61",
journal = "Journal of Anthropological Archaeology",
issn = "0278-4165",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
}