SHAPING CERAMIC RESEARCH AT THE MAYA SITE OF CUELLO, BELIZE

Traditional analyses of ceramics from Maya Lowland archaeological sites have focused on descriptive typologies to define site and regional chronologies. However, T. Patrick Culbert's groundbreaking work on the ceramics of Tikal (1993) utilized vessel shapes, as well, involving an analytical sys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ancient Mesoamerica 2003-01, Vol.14 (1), p.61-66
Main Author: Kosakowsky, Laura J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Ceramics
SPECIAL SECTION: PAPERS IN HONOR OF T. PATRICK CULBERT
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Summary:Traditional analyses of ceramics from Maya Lowland archaeological sites have focused on descriptive typologies to define site and regional chronologies. However, T. Patrick Culbert's groundbreaking work on the ceramics of Tikal (1993) utilized vessel shapes, as well, involving an analytical system of two levels: shape classes and shapes. His systematized modal analysis and concentration on vessel-shape classes, in conjunction with a focus on the importance of deposit types and site-formation processes, revolutionized what ceramics can tell us about prehistoric Maya behavior. The same approach was applied to the research on the Cuello ceramics presented here to gain a better understanding of the behavior associated with ceramic-vessel usage during the Preclassic period at this northern Belize site.
ISSN:0956-5361
1469-1787
DOI:10.1017/S0956536103132087