La vallée de Bithnah au cours de l'Age du Fer 9781407311289, 9781407340975

Table of contents :
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PREFACE
PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
1. SUMMARY
2. THE LAYOUT OF THE REPORT
3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PART 2: EXCAVATIONS AT XUNANTUNICH
4. GENERAL
5. STRUCTURE A-6
6. STRUCTURE A-11
7. EXCAVATIONS ON PLAZA B
8. DISCUSSION OF EXCAVATIONS ON THE NORTH PLATFORM
9. THE HOUSE MOUND
10. STRUCTURE A-15
11 . DISCUSSION OF THE EXCAVATION OF A-15
12. THE CHULTUN [6]
13 . GENERAL DISCUSSION
PART 3: APPENDICES FOR XUNANTIJNIQI
14. APPENDIX A: THE POTTERY
15 . APPENDIX B: ARTEFACTS OF FLINT, STONE, BONE AND FIRED CLAY
16. APPENDIX C: PETROLOGICAL IDENTIFICATIONS
17 . APPENDIX D: ANIMAL BONE IDENTIFICATIONS
18. APPENDIX E: REPORT ON HUMAN REMAINS
19, APPENDIX F: LIST OF CONTEXTS OF FINDS
20. APPENDIX G: LIST OF BAGS
PART ll: EXCAVATIONS ON HAMEY HILL, POMONA, STANN CREEK DISTRICT
21. INTRODUCTION
22. THE EXCAVATIONS
23. DISCUSSION
24. APPENDICES
PART 5: NOTES & REFERENCES
25. REFERENCES
26. NOTES

Citation preview

BAR  S251  1985   MACKIE   EXCAVATIONS AT XUNANTUNICH AND POMONA, BELIZE, IN 1959–60

Excavations at Xunantunich and Pomona, Belize, in 1959–60 A ceremonial centre and an earthen mound of the Maya Classic period

Euan W. MacKie

BAR International Series 251 9 780860 543220

B A R

1985

Excavations at Xunantunich and Pomona, Belize, in 1959 - 60 A ceremonial centre and an earthen mound of the Maya Classic period

E uan W. MacKie

BAR International Series 251 1985

Published in 2017 by BAR Publishing, Oxford BAR International Series 251 Excavations at Xunantunich and Pomona, Belize, in 1959-60 The author's moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher.

ISBN 9781407311289 paperback ISBN 9781407340975 e-format DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407311289 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library BAR Publishing is the trading name of British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd. British Archaeological Reports was first incorporated in 1974 to publish the BAR Series, International and British. In 1992 Hadrian Books Ltd became part of the BAR group. This volume was originally published by British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd / Hadrian Books Ltd, the Series principal publisher, in 1985. This present volume is published by BAR Publishing, 2017.

BAR PUBLISHING BAR titles are available from:

E MAIL P HONE F AX

BAR Publishing 122 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 7BP, UK [email protected] +44 (0)1865 310431 +44 (0)1865 316916 www.barpublishing.com

CONTENTS

P.ART 1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1. SUMMARY

l

2. THE LAYOUT OF THE REPORT 2.1 The Recording System 2.2 The Arrangement of the Finds in the Report

3 4

3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ,

5

P.ART 2e EXCAVATIONS AT XUNANTUNIOI 4. GENERAL 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4,5

The Site Previous Work at the Site The Ceremonial Centre The Stelae A Note on the Numbering of the Mounds and the Map

6 7 9 11 15 15

5. STRUCTURE A-6 5.1 The Form of the Building 5.2 Stairways up to A-6/1

15 15 21

6. STRUCTURE A-11 6.1 Phase 1: Construction of A-11/2 6.2 Phase 2: occupation of A-11/2 6.3 Phase 3: Construction of A-11/3 6.4 Phase 4: Occupation of A-11/1 6.5 Pottery on Room Floors 6.6 Phase 5: Collapse of the Building 6.7 Curtain Tie-holes 6.8 Floor Graffiti

21 23 25 25 31 35 40 42 42

7, EXCAVATIONS ON PLAZA B

42

8. DISCUSSION OF NORTH PLATFORM EXCAVATIONS 8.1 Function

44 4LI

8.2 The Phase 4B Pottery 8.3 Dating 8.4 The Manner and Causes of the Collapse of A-11

46 48 48

9. TI-IE HOUSE MOUND 9.1 Structural Features 9.2 Discussion

50 49 51

10. STRUCTURE A-15 10.1 Phase 1: Construction of Sub-structure and Plinth 10.2 Phase 1: Construction of Building 10.3 Phase 2: Classic Period Occupation 10.4 Graffiti 10.5 Pha·se 3: Post-Classic Occupation 10.6 Phase 4: Abandonment 10.7 Burials in A-15 10.8 The Stratigraphical Sequence of Pottery & Artefacts

53 55 57 61 65 65 71 75 77

11. DISCUSSION OF TI-IE EXCAVATION OF A-15 11.1 The Building and its Function 11.2 Dating 11.3 The Burials 11.4 Cultural Breakdown

83 83 84 84 97

12. THE CHULTUN

89

13. GENERAL 13.1 13.2 13.3

90 90 95 97

13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8

DISCUSSION The End of the Classic Culture at Xunantunich Ceramic Correlations with Neighbouring Sites The End of the Classic Culture at Nearby Ceremonial Centres Hypothesis Other Evidence for Post-Classic Activity in the Area Dating and Chronology Evidence for the Structure of Maya Society The Floor Graffiti

101 103 106 108 114

PART 3: APPENDICF.S ·14. APPENDIX A: The Pottery 14.1 The Ceramic Sequence and its Relationship with Other Sites 14.2 Ceramic Indicators of the Period IIIb/IV Boundary 14.3 Statistical Analysis 14.4 The Illustrated Sherds 15. APPENDIX B: Artefacts of Flint, Stone, Bone and Fired Clay 15 Arrangement 15.1 Lead object 15.2 Flint axes 15.3 Flint adzes 15.4 Flint picks and chisels 15.5 Flint spear points 15.6 Eccentric flints 15.6a Flint flakes 15.6b Flint pebbles 15.7 Chert axes 15.8 Stone weight? 15.9 Ground stone axes 15.9c Hammerstones 15.10 Saddle querns (metates) 15.11 Quern rubbers 15.12 Disc altar 15.13 Stone whorl or bead 15.14 Grooved stones 15.15 Fragments of plastered friezes 15.16 Obsidian blades 15.17 Slate artefacts 15.18 Slate fragments 15.19, 20 Jade artefacts 15.21-24 Bone artefacts 15.24a-c Burials and bone deposits 15.25-26 Shell artefacts 15.27-34 Artefacts of fired clay 15.35-38 Miscellaneous objects 16. APPENDIX C: Petrological Identifications 16.1 Ground Stone Axes 16.2 Quern Fragments

116 116 118 120 122 142 142 144 144 147 147 148 150 151 151 151 151 152 154 154 157 159 161 161 161 163 163 165 165 167 169 169 171 172 173 173 174

16.3 Worked stone

174

17. APPENDIX D: Animal Bone Identifications

174

18. APPENDIX E: Human Bones

176

19. APPENDIX F: List of Contexts of Finds

180

19.1 Structure A-11 19.2 Structure A-15

180 181

20. APPENDIX G: List of Bag contexts. 20 .1 Structure A-11 20.2 Mound 1 20.3 The Hut Mound 20.4 Structure A.15 20.5 Structure A-11, second excavation

PART 4:

182 182 187 187 189 198

EXCAVATIONS ON HAMEY HILL, PQK)NA

21 • INTRODUCTION

200

22. THE EXCAVATIONS

200

23. DISCUSSION 23.1 The Structure 23.2 Function 23.3 Dating and Cultural Context

204 204 204 205

�4. APPENDICES 24.1 Bag contexts, Marney Hill 24.2 List of recorded small finds

206 206 207

PART 5:

NOTF.S AND REFERENCF.S

5, REFERENCES

209

S. NOTES

214

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 00

Fig. 1

Location map of Belize and Maya sites.

02

Fig, 2

Map of Belize showing Maya sites and soil types

08

Fig. 3

General plan of Xunantunich.

12

Fig. 4

Plan and elevations of Structure A-6.

18

Fig. 5

Drawing of room 1 in Structure A-6/1.

20

Fig, 6

Plan and elevations of Structure A-11

30

Fig. 7

Structure A-11: distribution of on-floor pottery

38

Fig. 8

Plan and cross sections of the House Mound

51

Fig. 9

Plan of Strueture A-15

56

Fig. 10

Elevations of Structure A-15

58

Fig. 11

Integrated table of site sequences at Xunantunich

91

Fig. 12

Diagram of pottery percentages

113

Fig. 13

Pottery percentages in the Xunantunich sites

113

Fig. 14

Pottery and other finds from Structure A-11

124

Fig. 15

Period B,V. IIIb pottery fran A-15 (nos. 33-75); phase 1, nos. 33�35 & 36(?); phase 2, nos, 37-41, 43-54, 56-66, 68. 69, 71-75; phases 2 or 3, nos, 42, 55, 67 & 70.

126

Fig. 16

Period B, V. IV pottery fran A-15 (nos. 76-133); phase 1, no. 97; phase 2, nos, 77, 78, 81-96, 98 101; phase 2/3, nos. 79, 80,. 102-105, 107, 108; phase 3, nos. 109-133�

132

Fig. 17

Period B.V. IV pottery from A-15; The stone axes are phase 2 (?).

Fig. 18

Table of distribution of artefacts at Xunantunich

143

Fig. 19

Some small finds from Structure A-15

145

Fig. 20

Some small stone finds from Structure A-15

153

Fig. 21

Mamie Hill, Pomona:

202

all phase 3;

plan, sections and pottery

137

1

General view of the site looking towards A-6 from A-11, the North Platform plaza in the foreground.

10

2

Filled junction between A-3 and A-4, from the west, showing the original form of the substructure of the latter.

10

3

Carved stela in front of A-1; the figure of the priest is looking downwards, and the head-dress is to the left.

14

4

Secondary building around stela in front Structure A-2, presumably a small temple.

14

5

Structure A�6 on top of the South Platform, seen from the north, from Structure A-17; the roof with the carved frieze is on the left end.

16

6

Carved frieze on the'�ast erid of A-6/2,

16

7

Standing temple II'on its high pyramid at Tikal, Guatemala, in 1960.

22

8

Face of Sun God, on the right half of the frieze on Structure A-16/2.

22

9

View of room 1 in A-6/2 1 showing the secondary masonry of the bench, the side wall and the fill of the door in the rear wall.

24

10

View of primary vault of room 2 or 3 in Structure A-6/2.

24

11.

Interior of room 2 in Structure A-6/1.

26

12.

General view of Mound A-'11 before excavation.

28

13

View of A-11 at the end of the first stage of the excavation; trench E visible at base on left.

28

14

Steps with block-faced risers leading up to room 5, 11/1 •

A-

32

15

Steps with small stone-faced risers leading up to A-11/2; an extra step is on the original terrace floor, and an edge of the original doorway is visible in the background.

32

16

Fallen vault blocks in room 2, A-11/1; those from the lintel of the doorway between rooms 1 & 2 are lower down, having fallen from the left (south).

32

17

Cut through north wall of room 2, A-11/1, seen from the north.

34

18

Part of east wall of room 5, A-11/1, removed, showing original wall, plinth, terrace and top of sub-structure of back of building.

36

19

Pottery on floor of doorway to room 2, A-11/1.

36

20

Tumbled vau]t blocks in room 1 1 A-11/1,

41

21

General view of room 1, A-11/1, after excavation, look­ ing east.

41

22

North M ound on plaza B just cleared of vegetation, showing Gann's 1924 piL

43

23

Curtain tie-hole, north side of doorway to room 3, A-11/1.

43

24

Trench in North Mound 1 plaza B, showing 1924 pit in foreground and well-preserved plaza floor next to it.

45

25

Interior of room in standing palace building at Tikal, Guatemala, in 1960.

45

26

General view of completed excavation of Hut Mound; the house foundation is on the right, midden on left.

54

27

View of Structure A-'15 at start of excavations.

54

28

General view of A-15 from east after excavation, from the east; edge of rubbish tip in left foreground.

60

29

through bench in room ·1 1 A-15 1 showing the rear wall and the plinth fill of dry rubble below.

62

30

North end of room 1, A-15 1 showing vault blocks from first collapse with midden material on top, lying in front of the bench.

64

31

Double burial inside bench of room 2, A-15, infant to right.

64

32

Room 5, A-15, from the rear and still filled with roof blocks.

64

33

Carvings on south side of the bench in room 2, A-15.

66

34

Doorway between rooms 2 & 5, A-15, from the west, showing 'shelf' added to bench and secondary sillin foreground.

66

35

Doorway from rooms 2 to 5, A-15, showing step and bench 'shelf' in room 2 and bench in room 5,

68

36

Fragments Df carved and plastered limestone frieze found on A-11; all from room 5 except two fragments at right of front row.

68

37

View of room 1, A-15, looking south, showing second­ ary 'shelf' on bench and steps up to room 1a.

70

38

Adult burial inside bench in room 2,

70

child removed); 39

A-15 (with

note heel bone between lower legs.

Section through deposits in front of substructure of A15, just north of steps (trench NE/2, north face);

72

stacked blocks on top of primary step at base of sub­

structure.

40

Section through deposits in front of north end of

substructure of A-15 (trench NE/3, north face); stack­ ed block o n top of r o ck -c u t s tep at b a s e of

72

substructure.

4'1

South side of steps of A- ·15 with sherds in p osition.

74

42

General view of A-15 from north-east, after excavation; Structure A-6 in background.

74

43

Vault blocks from final collapse of roof, room 2, A-15 (west wall of room in background).

76

44

North end of room 1 , A-15, showing roof blocks from

76

final collapse, top of bench and front face of second­ ary shelf; note sherds and midden material at bottom right.

45

Section through deposits in room 2, A-15, showing vault blocks from final collapse (trench

NE/ 1,

78

south face);

note black earth of probable hearth on blocks.

1�6

North end of room 1, A-15, showing vault blocks from

78

first collapse on floor (same view as pl. 30).

47

Finds from A-15:

carved Orange ware vase on left (fig.

11, no. 109); top right -- another similar vase (not drawn);

bottom right -- bright orange, relief -dec­

orated sherd (not drawn).

134

48

From A-15:

49

From A-11: Red ware tripod bowl (fig. 6, no. 3).

139

50

From A-15:

tripod Red ware bowl (fig. 11, no. 121).

139

5 '1

From A-11:

Red ware tripod pot (fig. 6, no. 3).

149

52

From A-15:

eccentric flint (SF 221.XHI;

149

53

From A-15: left -- limestone pick or chisel, SF 207.XHA (4/L); right -� flint pick SF 81.XEA (4/T).

160

From A-15: top left 1 tip of flint spear point (SF 251; top right, part of tanged flint spear point (SF 228; bottom left, flint pick (SF 248); bottom right, possible eccentric flint (XHF),

158

55

From A-11: left, flint flake adze SF 19.XBG ( 3/A); right -- flint chisel with square section SF 35.XCL (4/A) .

160

56

From A-15:

57

From A-15: saddle quern (metate) of volcanic rock, reconstructed from eight pieces C'IO/L, 10/M, 10/N, 10/Q and 10/U in Appendix).

162

58

From A-15: left, flint adze with ground blade (SF 188); right, limestone pick (SF 250).

164

59

From A-15: two pieces of granite saddle quern (SFs 236 & 1 3 6 ).

166

60

From A-15: two flint spear points and two flint axes from the hole in the floor of room 3; top left SF 88.XGP, top right SF 198,XGP, bottom left SF 87.XGP, bottom right SF 199,XGP.

168

61

Plumbate effigy jar from Wild Cane Cay,

170

62

From A-15: discoid limestone altar, on bench in room 2.

170

carved Red ware vase (fig. 11, no. 126).

6/J) .

carved bone finger ring (SF 130 ).

134

160

63

Re ar wall of room 2, A=15, showing ni che at top and edge of plinth for top of bench.

203

64

Stone revetment of Marney Hill mound at Pomona.

203

65

Quern:, rubber SF 170 .XGF.

216

PREFACE The excavations described in this work took place in 1959 and 1960 and, except for a few minor details, the report was complete by tTu1y 196 1, However it proved impossible to find an archaeological journal, either in Britain or the U.S.�, willing to publish it. From 1960 the author became involved in Scottish prehistory and the manuscript therefore lay untouched for more than twenty years until · rrangements were made for it to appear in British Archaeological Reports. Of course Maya archaeology has advanced considerably in the intervening years, and some general comments on relevant aspects of these changes are made below. Neverthless it has been decided to leave the report as it is, largely because its main interest seems to lie in the structures and strata found, and in the unusual con­ clusions about the events and circumstances at one site derived from this excavated evidence; such conclusions are perhaps less likely to Thus this report is essentially a be affected by work elsewhere. product of the state of thought about Maya archaeology in 1961. A recent account of the history of archaeology in Belize is given by Hammond (1983) and the work carried out at Xunantunich is mentioned (although he does not refer to the 1959-60 excavations). The many developments in the country after 1960 are outlined, as are some by Coe (1984, 169ff.). Some of the new work at Xunantunich is briefly described by Willey et al. (196 5 , 315) and by Graham (1978, 2.117). The numbering of the mounds on Graham's map of the site (made by W.J.Carbis in 1969) differs slightly from that on fig. 3; his Structure A-8 is the wide extension of A-7 and the further narrow extension is labelled A=17; also the 'stela-house' appears as A-16 , not A-17, and the mound labelled A-16 on the 1959 map is now labelled A-18. The new map also fails to indicate that Structures A-11 and A-15 were already excavated at the time. During the 1960's and 1970's a succession of Archaeological . Commissioners organised the clearance of a number of buildings for

display, notably most of the rooms of A-13 and much of the top part of the enormous A-6 (Graham 1978, 2.120: Pendergast & Graham 1981, pl.). Another joining fragment of the Carved Orange vase found in Structure A=15 (fig. 16, no. 109) was found in front of the building (J.Schmidt, pers. comm.). The south side of A-1 was also cleared of debris and this resulted in the remarkable discovery of two new carved stelae (one broken in two pieces w hich were separate) and a carved altar which had been laid out in a row along the foot of the substructure (Graham 1978). If these were lying in clean masonry debris and on or close to a clean plaza surface, they may well amplify in a dramatic manner the evidence for a sudden disaster at the site in the 9th century, followed immediately by the start of short-lived clearing operations, which was obtained in the 1959-60 excavations. In spite of a strict antiquities law passed by the Belizean government in 1971, and the appointment of a full-time guard at the site in 1967, a sad episode of looting and vandalism occurred in Group B in the summer of 1979 (Pendergast and Graham 1981). The general background of lowland Maya archaeology was summar­ ised in 1965 (Willey ed., 1965). The most important recent excavat­ ion near Xunantunich is that of the settlement site at Barton Ramie further downstream which provided large quantites of analogous pottery This large scale project also and artefacts (Willey et al. 1965). led to the development of a more systematic way of analysing Maya pottery than the simple, rather. subjective method used here. J.C. Gifford introduced the concept of 'type-variety' analysis, now in general use, in which all the sherds found are kept for study and an attempt is made, by trial and error, to develop an objective class­ ification of whole vessels using as many features as possible (Willey et al. 1965 , chap. VII: Gifford 197 6), The ceramic Group is the basic unit, the pots in each being divided into Types which are then sub-divided into Varieties. Several 'patolli' game boards found at Seibal, in the Peten district of Guatemala, are very similar to those found incised in the plaster floors of Structure A-11 in 1959 (Ledyard Smith 1977). Similar square boards were also found at Tula and in the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque. The standard pattern is a square board the with each side and the central arms containing eleven squares; numerous squares marked with an X in the Xunantunich boards are very unusual. 'Patolli' was a game of chance, also played later by the

Aztecs, in which beans marked with spots were used as dice and moved along the squares. The general problems of the collapse of the Maya Classic culture, discussed here in relation to the unusual discoveries at Xunantunich, have been reviewed more than once (Thompson 1965: Cul­ bert, ed. 1973). A theory based on natural catastrophes like earth­ quakes is not normally considered seriously; J .E.S. Thompson ( 1965, 344) ignored the idea and favoured the 'peasant revolt' explanation, citing the increasing evidence, for example, of post-Classic stela worship; the unusual situation at Xunantunich is referred to only as indicating that period IV is a post-Classic phase in at least part of the site (ibid., p. 347). R.E.W. Adams (Willey et al. 1965, 21) pointed out that earthquakes seem implausible because no other evidence for major 'quakes has been found in the Maya lowlands. Of course only a local tremor is suggested here to explain the events at Xunantunich. Recently a 'multi-faceted' explanation for the disappearance of the Classic Maya civilisation in the southern lowlands has come into favour, involving a combination of causes including external as well as internal pressures (Adams 1973: Sabloff ·1973: Coe 1984, 117). Particularly interesting in the present context is the idea that one prime cause was the steady increase in numbers during the first mill­ ennium of the supposedly hereditary elite which lived in the ceremon­ ial centres, involving an ever increasing burden for the agri­ cultural population which supported it (Willey et al. 1965, 580·1: Willey & Shiml