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DECODING THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEMATIC DEPOSITS IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2020

James J. Aimers Open the ORCID record for James J. Aimers [Opens in a new window] ,
Julie A. Hoggarth Open the ORCID record for Julie A. Hoggarth [Opens in a new window]  and
Jaime J. Awe
James J. Aimers*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, The State University of New York at Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, New York, 14454
Julie A. Hoggarth
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University One Bear Place #97173, Waco, 76798, Texas
Jaime J. Awe
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University 5 E. McConnell Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona86011
*
E-mail correspondence to: [email protected]
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Abstract

The term “problematical deposits” was coined decades ago at Tikal to refer to special deposits that were neither burials nor caches. Since that time, the term has been expanded to refer to a range of deposits that have puzzled archaeologists. In this paper we review the various interpretations that have been offered for these deposits including de facto refuse, squatter deposits, and the remains of dedication or termination ritual, feasting, or pilgrimage. We argue that the superficial similarity of these deposits can make it difficult to identify the range of activities that they represent and that detailed contextual analysis is required to distinguish them. We offer some of the archaeological correlates that have been associated with different types of problematic deposits.

Type
Special Section: Problematic “On-Floor” Deposits in the Terminal Classic Eastern Maya Lowlands: Implications for the Maya Collapse
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , Spring 2020 , pp. 67 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2020

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References

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