Reliable AMS ages for Mayan Caches at Copán, Honduras based on spondylus sp. marine shells

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorHua, Qen_AU
dc.contributor.authorUlm, Sen_AU
dc.contributor.authorLevchenko, VAen_AU
dc.contributor.authorFash, Wen_AU
dc.contributor.authorAjurcia, Ren_AU
dc.contributor.authorSharer, Ren_AU
dc.contributor.authorTraxler, Len_AU
dc.contributor.authorPetchey, Fen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-11T23:42:28Zen_AU
dc.date.available2020-06-11T23:42:28Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2011-03-24en_AU
dc.date.statistics2020-05-15en_AU
dc.description.abstractCopán, located in western Honduras, is one of the most well-known of all ancient Mayan cities. Over a century of intensive archaeological research has revealed the development of Copán from its origins as a small agricultural village, to a major city state, followed by its decline or ‘collapse’ after AD 800. Copán’s chronology relies heavily on changes in ceramics dated by association with hieroglyphic dates on monuments. There are surprisingly few radiocarbon dates available for a site with such a long-term history of study and researchers have expressed a general reluctance to use radiocarbon dating (mainly on charcoal) at Copán because radiocarbon ages are often too old compared to associated hieroglyphic dates. Dating marine shell offers an alternative approach for radiocarbon-based chronology building at Copán. Spondylus sp. or spiny oyster shell is found in offering caches throughout the Copán valley. Caches are commonly associated with the dedication of buildings, altars and stelae. We have dated cached Spondylus sp. shells and compared their ages with calendrical dates derived from Maya hieroglyphs to obtain new information about Classic Maya caching behaviours and the chronology of contact with exchange partners in coastal areas from where the shell was sourced. A total of 17 Spondylus sp. shells collected from 9 independently dated contexts were analysed for 14C with AMS to high precision (0.30-0.35%) using the facilities at ANSTO and Waikato. Most of our AMS dates agreed well with structural/hieroglyphic dates indicating that Spondylus sp. can be reliably used for dating contexts. The results also showed there was very little time between death of the shellfish and placement within caches suggesting that shells may have been acquired for specific caching/dedication events rather than stored for long periods.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationHua, Q., Ulm, S., Levhenko, V., Fash, W., Agurcia, R., Sharer, R., Traxler, L., & Petchey, F. (2011). Reliable AMS ages for Mayan Caches at Copán, Honduras based on spondylus sp. marine shells. Paper presented at the AMS-12, The Twelfth International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, 20-25 March 2011, Museum of New Zeland Te Papa Tongarewa Wellington, New Zealand.en_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceenddate25 March 2011en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencenameAMS-12, The Twelfth International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometryen_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceplaceWellington, New Zealanden_AU
dc.identifier.conferencestartdate20 March 2011en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc9527en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/9596en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherGNS Scienceen_AU
dc.subjectHondurasen_AU
dc.subjectAquatic ecosystemsen_AU
dc.subjectCrustaceansen_AU
dc.subjectArchaeologyen_AU
dc.subjectFossilsen_AU
dc.subjectArchaeological specimensen_AU
dc.subjectCarbon 14en_AU
dc.subjectCharcoalen_AU
dc.titleReliable AMS ages for Mayan Caches at Copán, Honduras based on spondylus sp. marine shellsen_AU
dc.typeConference Abstracten_AU
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
AMS-12_Abstracts_Book_Final.pdf
Size:
5.14 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Conference Publications