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Chemical Signatures of Middens at a L ate C lassic M aya Residential Complex, G uatemala
Author(s) -
Eberl Markus,
Álvarez Marco,
Terry Richard E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.21415
Subject(s) - artifact (error) , archaeology , proxy (statistics) , group (periodic table) , geography , chemistry , biology , mathematics , neuroscience , statistics , organic chemistry
Phosphorus ( P ) and other chemical elements have been used to identify residential middens at archaeological sites. This study discusses the relationship of soil chemical elements and middens at Group C hispa, a L ate C lassic residential complex at a commoner village in the M aya lowlands. The complex was extensively excavated and soil sampled. Ceramic sherd densities, which serve as a proxy for artifact densities, correlate only partially with phosphorus and other chemical elements. One of the three middens in Group C hispa coincides with the highest concentration of P while the two others—including the most extensive one—have medium to low P levels. A spectrum of human activities that include the preparation of pigments explains the nontraditional distribution of chemical elements. High P levels remain useful to detect middens but they provide an incomplete picture and need to be contextualized by comprehensive archaeological data.