Systematic flotation survey and spatial analysis of artifacts at the submerged salt work of Ek Way Nal reveal evidence of a residence, salt kitchens, and additional activities. Ek Way Nal is one of 110 salt works associated with a Late to Terminal Classic (A.D. 600–900) salt industry known as the Paynes Creek Salt Works. Wooden posts that form the walls of 10 buildings are remarkably preserved in a peat bog below the sea floor providing an opportunity to examine surface artifacts in relation to buildings. Numerous salt kitchens have been located at the Paynes Creek Salt Works by evidence of abundant briquetage—pottery associated with boiling brine over fires to make salt. As one of the largest salt works with 10 buildings, there is an opportunity to examine variability in building use. Systematic flotation survey over the site and flagging and mapping individual artifacts and posts provide evidence that the Ek Way Nal salt makers had a residence near the salt kitchens, along with evidence of salting fish for subsistence or surplus household production. The results are compared with ethnographic evidence from Sacapulas and other salt works.
The sampling of archaeological deposits in a marine field reveals advances in our understanding of human–environment interactions. The sampling of traditional archaeological materials as well as analytical techniques in a marine setting is discussed. Sampling methods for extracting sediment from a marine setting include cores, shovel testing, and dredging. Analytical techniques include particle size analysis, chemical analysis, magnetic susceptibility, loss‐on‐ignition, macroscopic analysis, pollen analysis, and sensitive environmental indicators such as ostracods and foraminifera. These techniques have been applied to a wide variety of marine settings, including near‐shore, offshore, and on continental shelves.
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