Abstract

One of the most significant finds at the site of Blackman Eddy, Belize, is a series of superimposed structures that date between 1200 B.C.-A.D. 600 (calibrated). Because it was continuously occupied for over 1800 years, this site provides a unique opportunity to examine long-term socio-economic changes in the eastern Maya lowlands. This thesis is a diachronic study of the chipped stone tool artifacts of Blackman Eddy using technological, attribute, and use-wear analysis. The data collected for this study were examined to see what types of raw materials were used in tool production, what types of tools were produced, how they were produced, and what they were used for during the Middle Preclassic, Late Preclassic, and Classic periods. Each of the attributes studied in this thesis creates different opportunities and constraints for the various chipped stone tool industries of Blackman Eddy, and changes in chipped stone artifact attributes between the different structures may be indicative of socio-economic change over time.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/