Middle Preclassic period Maya greenstone “triangulates”: Forms, contexts, and geology of a unique Mesoamerican groundstone artifact type

Powis, Terry G.; Horn, Sherman; Iannone, Gyles; Healy, Paul F.; Garber, James F.; Awe, Jaime J.; Skaggs, Sheldon; Howie, Linda

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.08.022

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…42,43 Fosterite can be frequently found in meteorites, but also in ophiolites, and is possible to find metamorphic rocks containing jadeite that also presents ophiolitic inclusions. 44,45…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and X-ray Spectroscopies for Noninvasive Characterization of Mayan Green Stones from Bonampak, Chiapas

et al. 2019

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A burial and a rich offering were found under Room 2 in the Murals Building, Bonampak, a Mayan archaeological site situated in Chiapas, Mexico. This burial may be related with the creation of the famous mural paintings. A rich set of jewelry made of green stones was among the different objects found. Green stones have great importance in Mesoamerican cultures, those composed of jadeite being the most appreciated. To characterize the green stones, different spectroscopic techniques were used in a complementary way: Raman and infrared spectroscopies (FT-IR) were used for global mineralogical analysis, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were applied simultaneously in situ on the artifacts that were not successfully identified by these molecular techniques. In addition, XRF was used to contrasts the elemental information from pieces composed of pyroxenes that may be related to the raw sources of jade in Guatemala. The main minerals identified within the beads and earrings were jadeite with omphacite and jadeite with albite; to a minor extent, quartz, and serpentine. In this paper, the main features of the molecular and X-ray techniques are compared in order to determine the advantages and limitations of these spectroscopies for mineral identification. With this combination of techniques, it was possible to undertake a suitable characterization of the analyzed objects. This paper focuses on the XRD–XRF combined analysis for in situ noninvasive characterization.

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“…42,43 Fosterite can be frequently found in meteorites, but also in ophiolites, and is possible to find metamorphic rocks containing jadeite that also presents ophiolitic inclusions. 44,45…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and X-ray Spectroscopies for Noninvasive Characterization of Mayan Green Stones from Bonampak, Chiapas

et al. 2019

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“…By the start of the Middle Formative (900-800 b.c. ), greenstone triangulates are common across western Belize, and much of the rest of the Maya lowlands (Powis et al 2016).…”

Section: The Polished Stone Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Lowland Maya Genesis: The Late Archaic to Late Early Formative Transition in the Upper Belize River Valley

et al. 2021

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The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.

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“…Along with marine shell, other items made from exotic materials begin to appear in the early ceramic periods, including greenstone and obsidian. Greenstone appears in the form of polished celts, beads, triangulates, and in other symbolic or ritual forms in the Early to Middle Preclassic in Belize (Awe 1992;Awe et al 2021a;Garber et al 2004;Hammond 1991a;Healy et al 2004;Micheletti et al 2018;Powis et al 2016) and in the Middle Preclassic in Guatemala (Aoyama et al 2017a;Estrada-Belli 2006;Inomata et al 2015). The earliest Maya obsidian tools in Belize, appearing first as hard-hammer flakes, then as prismatic blades, date to the transition from the Early to Middle Preclassic (ca.…”

Section: Socioeconomic and Ideological Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Early to Middle Preclassic Belize and Guatemala, the obsidian originated in highland Guatemala, with the El Chayal and San Martín Jilotepeque sources being dominant (Aoyama 2017;Aoyama and Munson 2012;Aoyama et al 2017b;Awe and Healy 1994;Awe et al 2021a;Brown et al 2004;Castellanos and Foias 2017;Ebert and Awe 2018;Hammond 1991b;Inomata et al 2020: Supplementary Material 3;Kersey 2007;McAnany 2004b;Rice et al 2019;Stemp et al 2018a). Many of these trade items made from exotic materials have been recovered from some of the earliest dedicatory and termination deposits/caches in the central Maya lowlands, often in association with one another (Awe 1992;Aoyama et al 2017aAoyama et al , 2017bBrown et al 2018;Garber et al 2004;Healy et al 2004;Powis et al 2016). Deposits like these speak to an increase in the complex cultural customs among the early Maya associated with emerging socioeconomic or ideological practices that seem to presage more developed social inequality, accumulation of wealth, and power among emerging elites.…”

Section: Socioeconomic and Ideological Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Preceramic and Early Ceramic Periods in Belize and the Central Maya Lowlands

et al. 2021

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This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the first humans and the first Maya in these regions and presents seven articles that examine these critical periods from varied, intersecting perspectives. The Introduction begins with a brief history of early preceramic research (primarily in northern Belize) and provides a current chronology for the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Early Preclassic periods. The Paleoindian and Archaic (ca. 11,500–900 b.c.) periods are discussed in terms of the origins of the first peoples in these regions, lithic technology, subsistence, and early ritual. Next, a summary of archaeological evidence for the transition to the first villages (ca. 1200–800 b.c.) is provided, with examinations of a horticultural lifestyle, the earliest ceramics, increased socio-economic complexity, new ideology and ritual practices, and developing social inequality. Proto-Mayan and Mayan languages—their dating, origin, and early lexicon—are discussed in relation to the first Maya. Material culture and language are explored with regard to conceptions of Maya culture.

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Middle Preclassic period Maya greenstone “triangulates”: Forms, contexts, and geology of a unique Mesoamerican groundstone artifact type

Cited by 4 publications

References 55 publications

Molecular and X-ray Spectroscopies for Noninvasive Characterization of Mayan Green Stones from Bonampak, Chiapas

Molecular and X-ray Spectroscopies for Noninvasive Characterization of Mayan Green Stones from Bonampak, Chiapas

Lowland Maya Genesis: The Late Archaic to Late Early Formative Transition in the Upper Belize River Valley

The Preceramic and Early Ceramic Periods in Belize and the Central Maya Lowlands

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