Geoffrey E Braswell
Biographic Data
| ID | 231040 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Geoffrey E Braswell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Geoffrey E |
| FAMILY NAME | Braswell |
| SIGNATURE | BRASWELL G E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California San Diego |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 189 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
The Obsidian Artifacts of Nim Li Punit, Belize: Procurement and Production at a Terminal Preclassic to Terminal Classic (ca. AD 150–850) Capital in the Southeastern Maya Periphery
Since 2001, I have conducted archaeological research at three of the five major Classic Maya sites of inland Toledo District, Belize. The sites are so close together that we must ask if they were parts of the same kingdom or were all separate polities with distinct local economies. I present data concerning obsidian procurement at Nim li Punit, Pusilha, and Lubaantun relevant to this question. Results demonstrate overlapping yet distinct procurem…
The Red Bank formation as a local source for Belize Red pottery
Obsidian Tool Function and Maya Lithic Economy at Terminal Classic Pook's Hill, Belize: Subsistence, Domestic Activities, and Craft Production
The typological, technological, and use-wear analyses of obsidian artifacts from Terminal Classic Pook's Hill (AD 830-950+) provide opportunities to better reconstruct socioeconomic activities in this plazuela group, including long-distance trade, tool production, subsistence practices, domestic tasks, and the organization of craft production. Based on visual sourcing, most of the obsidian originated from highland Guatemala, specifically El Chaya…
Editors' Corner
Statistical artifacts: Critical approaches to the analysis of obsidian artifacts by portable X-ray fluorescence
El Rincón De Los Editores
Con el primer número del volumen 29 de Latin American Antiquity (LAQ) estamos muy contentos de poder anunciar buenas noticias para nuestros lectores y colaboradores. A partir de la edición de marzo 2018, el recuento anual de páginas de LAQ se incrementará a 880, al igual que American Antiquity (AAQ). Hace solo dos años se le asignaron a LAQ 576 páginas, por lo que esto significa un aumento del 53%, el mayor en la historia de la revista
A Perspective From the Maya Region: Closing Thoughts on Sload and Sugiyama, Sugiyama, and Sarabia G
Two recent articles (Sload 2015; Sugiyama et al. 2013) and the resulting exchange raise important questions about the dating of Teotihuacan. I will not reinterpret other scholars' excavations or their understandings of contexts, or take a position in this fruitful debate. Instead, my purpose is to draw the attention of readers of the journal who do not work at Teotihuacan to the broader implications for the Maya region and Mesoamerica
An ancient Maya ritual cache at Pook's Hill, Belize: Technological and functional analyses of the obsidian blades
Recent Discoveries in the Classic Maya Palace Complex of Nim li Punit, Belize
Nim li Punit is a small Classic Maya (ca. a.d. 150–830) center of Toledo District, Belize. Here I describe excavations of two buildings within the royal palace group: Structures 7 and 8. Structure 8 was built in four stages all dating to the Early to Late/Terminal Classic period. It probably served as a council house. Structure 7 was the residential palace and was built in two stages. An Early Classic burial demonstrates indirect interaction with…
Maya Politics and Ritual: An Important New Hieroglyphic Text on a Carved Jade From Belize
We describe a remarkable artifact discovered during our 2015 excavations at the Maya site of Nim li Punit, Belize. It is a T-shaped jade pectoral worn on the chest by ancient Maya kings during rites in which they scattered copal incense (Figure 1). These rituals are described or depicted on six carved stone monuments (stelae) at the site. What is more, two stelae at the site depict rulers wearing the pectoral. The reverse side of the jade contain…
Political alliance, residential mobility, and diet at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Belize
The Ancient Maya of Mexico: Reinterpreting the Past of the Northern Maya Lowlands
Ancient Maya of Mexico: Reinterpreting the Past of the Northern Maya Lowlands
Maya and Their Central American Neighbors: Settlement Patterns, Architecture, Hieroglyphic Texts and Ceramics
Alternative narratives and missing data: Refining the chronology of Chichen Itza
The history of the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, has been a subject of debate in archaeology, epigraphy, and art history for more than a century. Despite abundant scholarly attention, little agreement has been reached on a coherent chronological framework for the site. Contradicting chronologies based on hieroglyphic inscriptions, ethnohistorical sources, ceramic typologies, architectural styles, and absolute dates have been…
The Technology of Maya Civilization: Political Economy Amd Beyond in Lithic Studies
The ancient Maya shaped their world with stone tools. Lithic artifacts helped create the cityscape and were central to warfare and hunting, craft activities, cooking, and ritual performance. 'The Technology of Maya Civilization' examines Maya lithic artefacts made of chert, obsidian, silicified limestone, and jade to explore the relationship between ancient civilizations and natural resources. The volume presents case studies of archaeological si…
Letter from the Co-Editors
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button
The Obsidian and Ceramics of the Puuc Region: Chronology, Lithic Procurement, and Production at Xkipche, Yucatan, Mexico
Archaeologists working in the northern Maya lowlands have faced persistent problems in establishing chronological precision and accuracy. In particular, it has proven difficult to create multi-phase chronologies for the Late and Terminal Classic periods. Investigators at Xkipche, a small Puuc site southwest of Uxmal, have employed both seriation and the typological approach to ceramic chronology. The results of the ceramic seriation suggest great…
Gordon R. Willey and American Archaeology: Contemporary Perspectives . Jeremy A. Sabloff , William L. Fash
The Rise of Secondary States in the Southeastern Periphery of the Maya World: A report on recent archaeological and epigraphic research at Pusilha, Belize
How does state-level political organization develop in small polities located in peripheral areas? The Pusilha Archaeological Project, which has completed two field seasons, is studying political and economic development at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Toledo District, Belize. Pusilha emerged in the Early Classic period (a.d. 250–600) as a small regional polity, but throughout much of the Late Classic period (a.d. 600–800) it may have been i…
Determining the Geological Provenance of Obsidian Artifacts from the Maya Region: A Test of the Efficacy of Visual Sourcing
During the last four decades, mesoamerican archaeologists regularly have employed various chemical assay techniques to determine the geological sources of obsidian artifacts. In recent years, the reliability of these analytical procedures has increased and their costs have declined, encouraging the assay of ever larger samples. Nonetheless, several constraints make it unlikely that compositional data will be used routinely to attribute entire col…
A Systematic Approach to Obsidian Source Characterization
Interpreting Intrasource Variation in the Composition of Obsidian: The Geoarchaeology of San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Compositional analyses have long been used to assign obsidian artifacts to particular source areas. In most cases, the chemical “fingerprint” of a particular source area has been determined through the assay of only a few geological specimens from one or two outcrops. As a result, the full range of intrasource compositional variation has rarely been noted, and its spatial patterning frequently has not been studied. This report describes the resul…
The Obsidian Artifacts of Quelepa, El Salvador
Nearly 600 obsidian artifacts dating from about 200b.c.toa.d.950 at Quelepa, El Salvador, are assigned to geological source areas using visual criteria and an abbreviated neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. This combined methodology affords highly accurate results, is inexpensive, and allows large collections to be sourced. Results of lithic analyses describe the evolution of procurement and production strategies at the site. Despite the…
A New Obsidian Source in the Highlands of Guatemala
A new obsidian source has recently been discovered in the highlands of Guatemala, near the city of Sansare, El Progreso. Ten samples have been subjected to neutron activation analysis, and the results are presented. While ceramic affinities tie the Sansare area with Formative and Classic period Highland Maya sites, linguistic evidence suggests that Postclassic inhabitants of this region were Xinca speakers
Determining the Geological Provenance of Obsidian Artifacts from the Maya Region: A Test of the Efficacy of Visual Sourcing
During the last four decades, mesoamerican archaeologists regularly have employed various chemical assay techniques to determine the geological sources of obsidian artifacts. In recent years, the reliability of these analytical procedures has increased and their costs have declined, encouraging the assay of ever larger samples. Nonetheless, several constraints make it unlikely that compositional data will be used routinely to attribute entire col…
Obsidian-Hydration Dating, the Coner Phase, and Revisionist Chronology at Copan, Honduras
The technique of obsidian-hydration dating contains great potentials for error, from both laboratory determinations of rate constants and measurements of effective hydration temperatures (EHTs) in the field. The rate constants used to determine these dates are of questionable validity and need to be independently verified. Significantly, no measurements of EHTs were taken at the site of Copán, Honduras, until the majority of the obsidianhydration…
Interpreting Intrasource Variation in the Composition of Obsidian: The Geoarchaeology of San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Compositional analyses have long been used to assign obsidian artifacts to particular source areas. In most cases, the chemical “fingerprint” of a particular source area has been determined through the assay of only a few geological specimens from one or two outcrops. As a result, the full range of intrasource compositional variation has rarely been noted, and its spatial patterning frequently has not been studied. This report describes the resul…
Political alliance, residential mobility, and diet at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Belize
The Obsidian and Ceramics of the Puuc Region: Chronology, Lithic Procurement, and Production at Xkipche, Yucatan, Mexico
Archaeologists working in the northern Maya lowlands have faced persistent problems in establishing chronological precision and accuracy. In particular, it has proven difficult to create multi-phase chronologies for the Late and Terminal Classic periods. Investigators at Xkipche, a small Puuc site southwest of Uxmal, have employed both seriation and the typological approach to ceramic chronology. The results of the ceramic seriation suggest great…
The Obsidian Artifacts of Quelepa, El Salvador
Nearly 600 obsidian artifacts dating from about 200b.c.toa.d.950 at Quelepa, El Salvador, are assigned to geological source areas using visual criteria and an abbreviated neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. This combined methodology affords highly accurate results, is inexpensive, and allows large collections to be sourced. Results of lithic analyses describe the evolution of procurement and production strategies at the site. Despite the…
Maya Politics and Ritual: An Important New Hieroglyphic Text on a Carved Jade From Belize
We describe a remarkable artifact discovered during our 2015 excavations at the Maya site of Nim li Punit, Belize. It is a T-shaped jade pectoral worn on the chest by ancient Maya kings during rites in which they scattered copal incense (Figure 1). These rituals are described or depicted on six carved stone monuments (stelae) at the site. What is more, two stelae at the site depict rulers wearing the pectoral. The reverse side of the jade contain…
The Rise of Secondary States in the Southeastern Periphery of the Maya World: A report on recent archaeological and epigraphic research at Pusilha, Belize
How does state-level political organization develop in small polities located in peripheral areas? The Pusilha Archaeological Project, which has completed two field seasons, is studying political and economic development at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Toledo District, Belize. Pusilha emerged in the Early Classic period (a.d. 250–600) as a small regional polity, but throughout much of the Late Classic period (a.d. 600–800) it may have been i…
An ancient Maya ritual cache at Pook's Hill, Belize: Technological and functional analyses of the obsidian blades
Editors' Corner
Statistical artifacts: Critical approaches to the analysis of obsidian artifacts by portable X-ray fluorescence
A New Obsidian Source in the Highlands of Guatemala
A new obsidian source has recently been discovered in the highlands of Guatemala, near the city of Sansare, El Progreso. Ten samples have been subjected to neutron activation analysis, and the results are presented. While ceramic affinities tie the Sansare area with Formative and Classic period Highland Maya sites, linguistic evidence suggests that Postclassic inhabitants of this region were Xinca speakers
Obsidian Tool Function and Maya Lithic Economy at Terminal Classic Pook's Hill, Belize: Subsistence, Domestic Activities, and Craft Production
The typological, technological, and use-wear analyses of obsidian artifacts from Terminal Classic Pook's Hill (AD 830-950+) provide opportunities to better reconstruct socioeconomic activities in this plazuela group, including long-distance trade, tool production, subsistence practices, domestic tasks, and the organization of craft production. Based on visual sourcing, most of the obsidian originated from highland Guatemala, specifically El Chaya…
A Perspective From the Maya Region: Closing Thoughts on Sload and Sugiyama, Sugiyama, and Sarabia G
Two recent articles (Sload 2015; Sugiyama et al. 2013) and the resulting exchange raise important questions about the dating of Teotihuacan. I will not reinterpret other scholars' excavations or their understandings of contexts, or take a position in this fruitful debate. Instead, my purpose is to draw the attention of readers of the journal who do not work at Teotihuacan to the broader implications for the Maya region and Mesoamerica
Recent Discoveries in the Classic Maya Palace Complex of Nim li Punit, Belize
Nim li Punit is a small Classic Maya (ca. a.d. 150–830) center of Toledo District, Belize. Here I describe excavations of two buildings within the royal palace group: Structures 7 and 8. Structure 8 was built in four stages all dating to the Early to Late/Terminal Classic period. It probably served as a council house. Structure 7 was the residential palace and was built in two stages. An Early Classic burial demonstrates indirect interaction with…
A New Obsidian Source in the Highlands of Guatemala
A new obsidian source has recently been discovered in the highlands of Guatemala, near the city of Sansare, El Progreso. Ten samples have been subjected to neutron activation analysis, and the results are presented. While ceramic affinities tie the Sansare area with Formative and Classic period Highland Maya sites, linguistic evidence suggests that Postclassic inhabitants of this region were Xinca speakers
Obsidian-Hydration Dating, the Coner Phase, and Revisionist Chronology at Copan, Honduras
The technique of obsidian-hydration dating contains great potentials for error, from both laboratory determinations of rate constants and measurements of effective hydration temperatures (EHTs) in the field. The rate constants used to determine these dates are of questionable validity and need to be independently verified. Significantly, no measurements of EHTs were taken at the site of Copán, Honduras, until the majority of the obsidianhydration…
The Obsidian Artifacts of Quelepa, El Salvador
Nearly 600 obsidian artifacts dating from about 200b.c.toa.d.950 at Quelepa, El Salvador, are assigned to geological source areas using visual criteria and an abbreviated neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. This combined methodology affords highly accurate results, is inexpensive, and allows large collections to be sourced. Results of lithic analyses describe the evolution of procurement and production strategies at the site. Despite the…
A Systematic Approach to Obsidian Source Characterization
Interpreting Intrasource Variation in the Composition of Obsidian: The Geoarchaeology of San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Compositional analyses have long been used to assign obsidian artifacts to particular source areas. In most cases, the chemical “fingerprint” of a particular source area has been determined through the assay of only a few geological specimens from one or two outcrops. As a result, the full range of intrasource compositional variation has rarely been noted, and its spatial patterning frequently has not been studied. This report describes the resul…
Determining the Geological Provenance of Obsidian Artifacts from the Maya Region: A Test of the Efficacy of Visual Sourcing
During the last four decades, mesoamerican archaeologists regularly have employed various chemical assay techniques to determine the geological sources of obsidian artifacts. In recent years, the reliability of these analytical procedures has increased and their costs have declined, encouraging the assay of ever larger samples. Nonetheless, several constraints make it unlikely that compositional data will be used routinely to attribute entire col…
The Rise of Secondary States in the Southeastern Periphery of the Maya World: A report on recent archaeological and epigraphic research at Pusilha, Belize
How does state-level political organization develop in small polities located in peripheral areas? The Pusilha Archaeological Project, which has completed two field seasons, is studying political and economic development at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Toledo District, Belize. Pusilha emerged in the Early Classic period (a.d. 250–600) as a small regional polity, but throughout much of the Late Classic period (a.d. 600–800) it may have been i…
Gordon R. Willey and American Archaeology: Contemporary Perspectives . Jeremy A. Sabloff , William L. Fash
The Obsidian and Ceramics of the Puuc Region: Chronology, Lithic Procurement, and Production at Xkipche, Yucatan, Mexico
Archaeologists working in the northern Maya lowlands have faced persistent problems in establishing chronological precision and accuracy. In particular, it has proven difficult to create multi-phase chronologies for the Late and Terminal Classic periods. Investigators at Xkipche, a small Puuc site southwest of Uxmal, have employed both seriation and the typological approach to ceramic chronology. The results of the ceramic seriation suggest great…
The Ancient Maya of Mexico: Reinterpreting the Past of the Northern Maya Lowlands
Ancient Maya of Mexico: Reinterpreting the Past of the Northern Maya Lowlands
Maya and Their Central American Neighbors: Settlement Patterns, Architecture, Hieroglyphic Texts and Ceramics
Alternative narratives and missing data: Refining the chronology of Chichen Itza
The history of the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, has been a subject of debate in archaeology, epigraphy, and art history for more than a century. Despite abundant scholarly attention, little agreement has been reached on a coherent chronological framework for the site. Contradicting chronologies based on hieroglyphic inscriptions, ethnohistorical sources, ceramic typologies, architectural styles, and absolute dates have been…
The Technology of Maya Civilization: Political Economy Amd Beyond in Lithic Studies
The ancient Maya shaped their world with stone tools. Lithic artifacts helped create the cityscape and were central to warfare and hunting, craft activities, cooking, and ritual performance. 'The Technology of Maya Civilization' examines Maya lithic artefacts made of chert, obsidian, silicified limestone, and jade to explore the relationship between ancient civilizations and natural resources. The volume presents case studies of archaeological si…
Letter from the Co-Editors
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button
Maya Politics and Ritual: An Important New Hieroglyphic Text on a Carved Jade From Belize
We describe a remarkable artifact discovered during our 2015 excavations at the Maya site of Nim li Punit, Belize. It is a T-shaped jade pectoral worn on the chest by ancient Maya kings during rites in which they scattered copal incense (Figure 1). These rituals are described or depicted on six carved stone monuments (stelae) at the site. What is more, two stelae at the site depict rulers wearing the pectoral. The reverse side of the jade contain…
Political alliance, residential mobility, and diet at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Belize
An ancient Maya ritual cache at Pook's Hill, Belize: Technological and functional analyses of the obsidian blades
Recent Discoveries in the Classic Maya Palace Complex of Nim li Punit, Belize
Nim li Punit is a small Classic Maya (ca. a.d. 150–830) center of Toledo District, Belize. Here I describe excavations of two buildings within the royal palace group: Structures 7 and 8. Structure 8 was built in four stages all dating to the Early to Late/Terminal Classic period. It probably served as a council house. Structure 7 was the residential palace and was built in two stages. An Early Classic burial demonstrates indirect interaction with…
El Rincón De Los Editores
Con el primer número del volumen 29 de Latin American Antiquity (LAQ) estamos muy contentos de poder anunciar buenas noticias para nuestros lectores y colaboradores. A partir de la edición de marzo 2018, el recuento anual de páginas de LAQ se incrementará a 880, al igual que American Antiquity (AAQ). Hace solo dos años se le asignaron a LAQ 576 páginas, por lo que esto significa un aumento del 53%, el mayor en la historia de la revista
A Perspective From the Maya Region: Closing Thoughts on Sload and Sugiyama, Sugiyama, and Sarabia G
Two recent articles (Sload 2015; Sugiyama et al. 2013) and the resulting exchange raise important questions about the dating of Teotihuacan. I will not reinterpret other scholars' excavations or their understandings of contexts, or take a position in this fruitful debate. Instead, my purpose is to draw the attention of readers of the journal who do not work at Teotihuacan to the broader implications for the Maya region and Mesoamerica
Statistical artifacts: Critical approaches to the analysis of obsidian artifacts by portable X-ray fluorescence
Editors' Corner
Obsidian Tool Function and Maya Lithic Economy at Terminal Classic Pook's Hill, Belize: Subsistence, Domestic Activities, and Craft Production
The typological, technological, and use-wear analyses of obsidian artifacts from Terminal Classic Pook's Hill (AD 830-950+) provide opportunities to better reconstruct socioeconomic activities in this plazuela group, including long-distance trade, tool production, subsistence practices, domestic tasks, and the organization of craft production. Based on visual sourcing, most of the obsidian originated from highland Guatemala, specifically El Chaya…
The Red Bank formation as a local source for Belize Red pottery
Archaeology (19 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (18 works) · Geography (17 works) · History (12 works) · Maya (12 works) · Latin American history and culture (9 works) · Ancient history (8 works) · Art (8 works) · History (8 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (8 works)