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Papers by Heather McKillop

Research paper thumbnail of Briquetage and Brine: Living and Working at the Classic Maya Salt Works of Ek Way Nal, Belize

Ancient Mesoamerica

Systematic flotation survey and spatial analysis of artifacts at the submerged salt work of Ek Wa... more Systematic flotation survey and spatial analysis of artifacts at the submerged salt work of Ek Way Nal reveal evidence of a residence, salt kitchens, and additional activities. Ek Way Nal is one of 110 salt works associated with a Late to Terminal Classic (A.D. 600–900) salt industry known as the Paynes Creek Salt Works. Wooden posts that form the walls of 10 buildings are remarkably preserved in a peat bog below the sea floor providing an opportunity to examine surface artifacts in relation to buildings. Numerous salt kitchens have been located at the Paynes Creek Salt Works by evidence of abundant briquetage—pottery associated with boiling brine over fires to make salt. As one of the largest salt works with 10 buildings, there is an opportunity to examine variability in building use. Systematic flotation survey over the site and flagging and mapping individual artifacts and posts provide evidence that the Ek Way Nal salt makers had a residence near the salt kitchens, along with ev...

Research paper thumbnail of Salt as a commodity or money in the Classic Maya economy

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of The Ancient Maya Marketplace: The Archaeology of Transient Space by Eleanor M. King, ed. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 2015. 325 pp

Research paper thumbnail of Specialized Salt Production During the Ancient Maya Classic Period at Two Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize: Chan b’i and Atz’aam Na

Journal of Field Archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of Coastal Economies

University Press of Florida

The sea was important to the ancient Maya as a source of ritual and subsistence resources as well... more The sea was important to the ancient Maya as a source of ritual and subsistence resources as well as for canoe travel and long distance trade, particularly evidenced in durable goods such as obsidian. This chapter compares the trading system on Chetumal Bay to a similar coastal Maya landscape in the Port Honduras region of southern Belize and its trading port at Wild Cane Cay. The author notes that trading networks reacted to change in market demand for specific kinds of goods, exhibited at coastal sites such as Moho Key on the coast of central Belize. Although Chetumal Bay saw a much longer run as a trading system, the Port Honduras region thrived in the Classic era based in part on a prolific coastal–inland trade in salt. Excavations at the Paynes Creek salt works, for example, revealed a large quantity of salt evaporating vessels (briquetage) essential to producing this mineral necessity. With the Terminal Classic collapse of most inland cities, the southern Belize salt trade dec...

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric exploitation of the manatee in the Maya and circum‐Caribbean areas

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00438243 1985 9979939, Jul 15, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping Ancient Maya Wooden Architecture on the Sea Floor, Belize

Research paper thumbnail of Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry

Economic Botany, 2014

ABSTRACT Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry. The ancient Maya of Paynes Creek National Park ... more ABSTRACT Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry. The ancient Maya of Paynes Creek National Park in coastal southern Belize produced salt by boiling brine in ceramic vessels above fires. The process requires a constant supply of wood to maintain the fires. Charcoal recovered from Chan B’i, an Early Classic (300–600 C.E.) salt work, provides a record of fuel wood selection within a workshop context. Taxonomic identifications reveal a selection preference for species from both mangrove and broadleaf habitats. Wood from the Chrysobalanaceae family dominates the assemblage. Rhizophora mangle L., Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F. Gaertn., and Hieronyma sp. were also preferred wood fuel species. A total of 21 species were identified in the assemblage. Charcoal identifications are considered in terms of selection strategies within a heterogeneous landscape to better understand forest exploitation behavior for wood fuel. Selection follows principles of optimal foraging in which transport cost was a principal concern for foragers.

Research paper thumbnail of Wild Cane Cay: an insular classic period to postclassic period Maya trading station

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987. Includes bibliographical... more ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 411-447). Photocopy.

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric Maya reliance on marine resources: Analysis of a midden from Moho Cay, Belize

Journal of Field Archaeology, 1984

Investigations of a prehistoric Maya island community on Moho Cay, located near the mouth of the ... more Investigations of a prehistoric Maya island community on Moho Cay, located near the mouth of the Belize River, Belize, Central America, led to discovery of a Middle Classic Period (400-700 AC) midden with well preserved ani-mal bone and shell. The midden is ...

Research paper thumbnail of Dental Indicators of Diet and Health for the Postclassic Coastal Maya on Wild Cane Cay, Belize

Research paper thumbnail of Salt: White Gold of the Ancient Maya

Latin American Antiquity, 2003

In this text, Heather McKillop reports the discovery, excavation and interpretation of Late Class... more In this text, Heather McKillop reports the discovery, excavation and interpretation of Late Classic Maya salt works on the coast of Belize, expanding knowledge of the Maya salt trade and craft specialization while providing insights on sea-level rise in the Late Holocene as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Salt and marine products in the Classic Maya economy from use-wear study of stone tools

PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018

Microscopic study of the edges of Late to Terminal Classic Maya (AD 600–900) chert stone tools fr... more Microscopic study of the edges of Late to Terminal Classic Maya
(AD 600–900) chert stone tools from the Paynes Creek Salt Works,
Belize, indicates most tools were used for cutting fish or meat or
working hide, which was unexpected, given the virtual absence of
fish or other animal remains at this large salt-production complex.
Use-wear study shows that a minority of stone tools have edgewear
from woodworking. Our study suggests that salting fish was
a significant activity at the salt works, which corresponds to Roman,
Chinese, and other East Asian civilizations, where salt and
salted fish were critical components of food storage, trade, and
state finance. Based on analogy with modern Maya salt producers
at Sacapulas, Guatemala, we provide estimates of the amounts of
salt and salted fish produced at the Paynes Creek Salt Works and
the implications for the Classic Maya economy. Salt cakes and salted
fish were preserved commodities that could be stored and traded in
the marketplace.

Research paper thumbnail of Demystifying jadeite: an underwater Maya discovery at Ek Way Nal, Belize

Antiquity, 2019

Jadeite artefacts at Maya sites are normally associated with ritual and ceremonial locations , wi... more Jadeite artefacts at Maya sites are normally associated with ritual and ceremonial locations , with high-quality jadeite reserved for elite objects. The discovery of a jadeite gouge with a wooden handle at a Classic Maya salt-working site submerged by sea-level rise-Ek Way Nal, Belize-is therefore unexpected and provides new information about the utilitarian use of this stone. The extremely high quality of this jadeite tool is particularly surprising, offering new insight into the Classic Maya exchange systems and the role of salt makers such as those based at Ek Way Nal.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2017. “Diving Deeper in Punta Ycacos Lagoon at the Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 14: 279-288.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2018. “Contingent multi-crafting, surplus household production, and the Maya quest for salt.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 15: 265-273.

Research paper thumbnail of E. Cory Sills, Heather McKillop, and E. Christian Wells. 2016. Chemical Signatures of Ancient Activities at Chan b’i – A Submerged Maya salt works, Belize.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 9: 654-662.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2016. “Coastal Economies: Comparing Northern and Southern Belize,” in Perspectives on the Ancient Maya of Chetumal Bay, edited by Debra S. Walker, pp.279-291, University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2017. “Early Maya Navigation and Maritime Connections in Mesoamerica.” In The Sea in History: The Medieval World, edited by Michel Balard, pp. 701-715. Boydell and Brewer, Bogner Regis, England.

Research paper thumbnail of Sills and McKillop 2018 “Specialized salt production during the ancient Maya Classic period at two Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize: Chan b’i and Atz’aam Na.” (E. Cory Sills and Heather McKillop) Journal of Field Archaeology 43(6): 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2018.1504543.

Research paper thumbnail of Briquetage and Brine: Living and Working at the Classic Maya Salt Works of Ek Way Nal, Belize

Ancient Mesoamerica

Systematic flotation survey and spatial analysis of artifacts at the submerged salt work of Ek Wa... more Systematic flotation survey and spatial analysis of artifacts at the submerged salt work of Ek Way Nal reveal evidence of a residence, salt kitchens, and additional activities. Ek Way Nal is one of 110 salt works associated with a Late to Terminal Classic (A.D. 600–900) salt industry known as the Paynes Creek Salt Works. Wooden posts that form the walls of 10 buildings are remarkably preserved in a peat bog below the sea floor providing an opportunity to examine surface artifacts in relation to buildings. Numerous salt kitchens have been located at the Paynes Creek Salt Works by evidence of abundant briquetage—pottery associated with boiling brine over fires to make salt. As one of the largest salt works with 10 buildings, there is an opportunity to examine variability in building use. Systematic flotation survey over the site and flagging and mapping individual artifacts and posts provide evidence that the Ek Way Nal salt makers had a residence near the salt kitchens, along with ev...

Research paper thumbnail of Salt as a commodity or money in the Classic Maya economy

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of The Ancient Maya Marketplace: The Archaeology of Transient Space by Eleanor M. King, ed. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 2015. 325 pp

Research paper thumbnail of Specialized Salt Production During the Ancient Maya Classic Period at Two Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize: Chan b’i and Atz’aam Na

Journal of Field Archaeology

Research paper thumbnail of Coastal Economies

University Press of Florida

The sea was important to the ancient Maya as a source of ritual and subsistence resources as well... more The sea was important to the ancient Maya as a source of ritual and subsistence resources as well as for canoe travel and long distance trade, particularly evidenced in durable goods such as obsidian. This chapter compares the trading system on Chetumal Bay to a similar coastal Maya landscape in the Port Honduras region of southern Belize and its trading port at Wild Cane Cay. The author notes that trading networks reacted to change in market demand for specific kinds of goods, exhibited at coastal sites such as Moho Key on the coast of central Belize. Although Chetumal Bay saw a much longer run as a trading system, the Port Honduras region thrived in the Classic era based in part on a prolific coastal–inland trade in salt. Excavations at the Paynes Creek salt works, for example, revealed a large quantity of salt evaporating vessels (briquetage) essential to producing this mineral necessity. With the Terminal Classic collapse of most inland cities, the southern Belize salt trade dec...

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric exploitation of the manatee in the Maya and circum‐Caribbean areas

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00438243 1985 9979939, Jul 15, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping Ancient Maya Wooden Architecture on the Sea Floor, Belize

Research paper thumbnail of Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry

Economic Botany, 2014

ABSTRACT Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry. The ancient Maya of Paynes Creek National Park ... more ABSTRACT Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry. The ancient Maya of Paynes Creek National Park in coastal southern Belize produced salt by boiling brine in ceramic vessels above fires. The process requires a constant supply of wood to maintain the fires. Charcoal recovered from Chan B’i, an Early Classic (300–600 C.E.) salt work, provides a record of fuel wood selection within a workshop context. Taxonomic identifications reveal a selection preference for species from both mangrove and broadleaf habitats. Wood from the Chrysobalanaceae family dominates the assemblage. Rhizophora mangle L., Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F. Gaertn., and Hieronyma sp. were also preferred wood fuel species. A total of 21 species were identified in the assemblage. Charcoal identifications are considered in terms of selection strategies within a heterogeneous landscape to better understand forest exploitation behavior for wood fuel. Selection follows principles of optimal foraging in which transport cost was a principal concern for foragers.

Research paper thumbnail of Wild Cane Cay: an insular classic period to postclassic period Maya trading station

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987. Includes bibliographical... more ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 411-447). Photocopy.

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistoric Maya reliance on marine resources: Analysis of a midden from Moho Cay, Belize

Journal of Field Archaeology, 1984

Investigations of a prehistoric Maya island community on Moho Cay, located near the mouth of the ... more Investigations of a prehistoric Maya island community on Moho Cay, located near the mouth of the Belize River, Belize, Central America, led to discovery of a Middle Classic Period (400-700 AC) midden with well preserved ani-mal bone and shell. The midden is ...

Research paper thumbnail of Dental Indicators of Diet and Health for the Postclassic Coastal Maya on Wild Cane Cay, Belize

Research paper thumbnail of Salt: White Gold of the Ancient Maya

Latin American Antiquity, 2003

In this text, Heather McKillop reports the discovery, excavation and interpretation of Late Class... more In this text, Heather McKillop reports the discovery, excavation and interpretation of Late Classic Maya salt works on the coast of Belize, expanding knowledge of the Maya salt trade and craft specialization while providing insights on sea-level rise in the Late Holocene as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Salt and marine products in the Classic Maya economy from use-wear study of stone tools

PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018

Microscopic study of the edges of Late to Terminal Classic Maya (AD 600–900) chert stone tools fr... more Microscopic study of the edges of Late to Terminal Classic Maya
(AD 600–900) chert stone tools from the Paynes Creek Salt Works,
Belize, indicates most tools were used for cutting fish or meat or
working hide, which was unexpected, given the virtual absence of
fish or other animal remains at this large salt-production complex.
Use-wear study shows that a minority of stone tools have edgewear
from woodworking. Our study suggests that salting fish was
a significant activity at the salt works, which corresponds to Roman,
Chinese, and other East Asian civilizations, where salt and
salted fish were critical components of food storage, trade, and
state finance. Based on analogy with modern Maya salt producers
at Sacapulas, Guatemala, we provide estimates of the amounts of
salt and salted fish produced at the Paynes Creek Salt Works and
the implications for the Classic Maya economy. Salt cakes and salted
fish were preserved commodities that could be stored and traded in
the marketplace.

Research paper thumbnail of Demystifying jadeite: an underwater Maya discovery at Ek Way Nal, Belize

Antiquity, 2019

Jadeite artefacts at Maya sites are normally associated with ritual and ceremonial locations , wi... more Jadeite artefacts at Maya sites are normally associated with ritual and ceremonial locations , with high-quality jadeite reserved for elite objects. The discovery of a jadeite gouge with a wooden handle at a Classic Maya salt-working site submerged by sea-level rise-Ek Way Nal, Belize-is therefore unexpected and provides new information about the utilitarian use of this stone. The extremely high quality of this jadeite tool is particularly surprising, offering new insight into the Classic Maya exchange systems and the role of salt makers such as those based at Ek Way Nal.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2017. “Diving Deeper in Punta Ycacos Lagoon at the Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 14: 279-288.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2018. “Contingent multi-crafting, surplus household production, and the Maya quest for salt.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 15: 265-273.

Research paper thumbnail of E. Cory Sills, Heather McKillop, and E. Christian Wells. 2016. Chemical Signatures of Ancient Activities at Chan b’i – A Submerged Maya salt works, Belize.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 9: 654-662.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2016. “Coastal Economies: Comparing Northern and Southern Belize,” in Perspectives on the Ancient Maya of Chetumal Bay, edited by Debra S. Walker, pp.279-291, University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Research paper thumbnail of McKillop, Heather. 2017. “Early Maya Navigation and Maritime Connections in Mesoamerica.” In The Sea in History: The Medieval World, edited by Michel Balard, pp. 701-715. Boydell and Brewer, Bogner Regis, England.

Research paper thumbnail of Sills and McKillop 2018 “Specialized salt production during the ancient Maya Classic period at two Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize: Chan b’i and Atz’aam Na.” (E. Cory Sills and Heather McKillop) Journal of Field Archaeology 43(6): 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2018.1504543.

Research paper thumbnail of CfP: Third International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt, 12–15 September 2018, Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain

by Marius Alexianu, Antonio Malpica Cuello, Olivier Weller, Inês Amorim, David Bloch, Robin Brigand, Cristina Carusi, Paul Eubanks, Alfons Fíguls Alonso, jayaram gollapudi, Elisa Guerra Doce, Cavruc (Kavruk) Valeriu (Valerii), Igor Lyman, Heather McKillop, Leandro Sánchez Zufiaurre, and Noelia Tofé

Call for Papers THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SALT 12–15 September 20... more Call for Papers

THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SALT
12–15 September 2018, Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain

vallesalado.com/congressalt

Dear colleagues,

We are glad to invite you the attend the “Third International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt”, organized between the 12th and 15th of September 2018, in Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain — vallesalado.com/congressalt

Please print and share this call with anyone who might be interested in attending, and this includes not only anthropologists and archaeologists, but also historians, geographers, linguists, and specialists from any domain researching common salt.

You can find more information on the event on its dedicated webpage: vallesalado.com/congressalt [ENG] / vallesalado.com/congresosal [ESP]

The Scientific Committee

Research paper thumbnail of A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages - Book Flyer (see my Academia profile for the text of the Introduction)

A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages, 2020

This companion introduces the connections between early medieval societies that have previously b... more This companion introduces the connections between early medieval societies that have previously been studied in isolation. By bringing together nineteen experts on different regions across the globe, from Oceania to Europe and beyond, it transcends conventional disciplinary boundaries and synthesizes parallel historiographical narratives.

The period 600-900 CE witnessed important historical developments, such as the establishment of a Southeast Asian thalassocracy by the Shailendra dynasty and the expansion of the Frankish polity under Charlemagne on the far ends of Eurasia and the consolidation of the Abbasid and Tang empires in between. A Companion to the Global Early Middle Ages integrates these contemporaneous processes and presents new insights into a neglected phase of world history

Research paper thumbnail of CALL FOR PAPERS Fourth International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt

Scholars of anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, geography, geology, and other specia... more Scholars of anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, geography, geology, and other specialists whose research involves the role of salt in human life are invited to submit abstracts.