Shane Montgomery | University of Central Florida (original) (raw)
Unpublished Reports by Shane Montgomery
The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project: A Report of the 2015 Field Season, 2016
Thesis Chapters by Shane Montgomery
Ancient populations across the globe successfully employed wetland agricultural techniques in a v... more Ancient populations across the globe successfully employed wetland agricultural techniques in a variety of environmentally and climatically diverse landscapes throughout prehistory. Within the Maya Lowlands, these agricultural features figure prominently in the region comprised of northern Belize and southern Quintana Roo, an area supporting low-outflow rivers, large lagoons, and numerous bajo (swamp) features. Along the banks of the Hondo and New Rivers, the Maya effectively utilized wetland agricultural practices from the Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic Periods (1000 B.C.—A.D. 950). A number of past archaeological projects have thoroughly examined the construction and impact of these swampland modifications. After four decades of study, a more precise picture has formed in relation to the roles that these ditched field systems played in the regional development of the area. However, a detailed record of the full spatial extent, combined construction costs, and potential agricultural productivity has not been attempted on a larger scale. This thesis highlights these avenues of interest through data obtained from high- and medium-resolution satellite imagery and manipulated through geographic information systems (GIS) technology. The research explores environmental factors and topographic elements dictating the distribution of such entities, the energetic involvement required to construct and maintain the systems, and the efficiency of wetland techniques as compared to traditional milpa agriculture. Spatial analyses reveal a total of 254 distinct wetland field systems within the 6560 square kilometer area of interest, clustered along navigable waterways, seasonal lagoons, and upland landscapes separating the Hondo and New Rivers. Energetic estimates illustrate substantial investment in wetland field construction, spanning several generations based on a locally available workforce. However, productivity calculations associated with the ditched field systems commonly exceed those attributed to milpa techniques, suggesting agricultural surplus far beyond the immediate need. These combined data indicate the potential export of maize and other agricultural commodities to regional centers in northern Belize and further abroad during the Late Preclassic and Late to Terminal Classic Periods through riverine trade networks. Additionally, these data help illustrate participation trends and patterns of connectivity relating to tiered sites within the area of interest. This research contributes to the overall understanding of wetland agriculture within Mesoamerica as well as provides insight into the political management of intensive agricultural production during Maya prehistory.
Papers by Shane Montgomery
Data collected from aerial lidar scanning provides new opportunities for archaeological survey. I... more Data collected from aerial lidar scanning provides new opportunities for archaeological survey. It is now possible, in a short period of time, to collect vast amounts of geographic data that would have taken years of pedestrian survey to acquire. This enhances and extends landscape studies by reducing time-frames and cost, encouraging analyses based on real-world data collection on a regional scale. This paper describes an approach for modeling the ritual landscape surrounding the ancient Maya center of Las Cuevas, Belize by analyzing the spatial aspects of ritual cave use. Using lidar-derived data, we describe a method for locating potential cave sites using Local Relief Models, which requires only a working knowledge of relief visualization techniques and no specialized skills in computer programming. Our method located the five known cave sites within our 222 km 2 lidar study area—including one with a fissure entrance. We plan to ground-truth potentialities to develop models of the ritual landscape that can be visualized and analyzed. By researching cave use on a regional scale and defining the relationships between caves and surface features, we advance cave studies by deepening our understanding of the ritual landscape and its articulation with ancient Maya socio/political dynamics. Los datos recolectados por el reconocimiento aéreo lidar ofrece nuevas oportunidades para el estudio arqueológico. Ahora en un período corto es posible recopilar grandes cantidades de datos geográficos que antes tomaban años para adquirir en un reconocimiento peatonal, pero las imágenes digitales todavía requieren interpretación y verificación en el terreno. El nuevo método mejora y amplía el estudio del paisaje en que se reduce el tiempo y los costos del estudio. En esta manera fomenta el análisis basado en la recolección de datos del mundo actual en una escala regional. En este artículo enfocamos en diferente métodos de modelar el paisaje ritual que rodea el antiguo centro maya de Las Cuevas, Belice mediante el análisis de los aspectos espaciales de uso ritual de una cueva. Utilizando los datos de lidar, describimos un método para localizar posibles sitios de cuevas utilizando Shaded Relief Models que sólo requiere un conocimiento práctico de las técnicas de visualización, sin el conocimiento especializado en la programación de computadoras. Estamos a favor de un enfoque híbrido utilizando tanto automatizado y manual de evaluación, que ha demostrado ser eficaz en la búsqueda de las posibilidades más prometedoras. Nuestro método nos permitió a localizar todas las cuevas conocidas en el área de lidar de 222 km 2 —incluso aquellas con entradas estrechas y horizontales. Con estos datos en mano tenemos la intención de desarrollar modelos de paisaje ritual y sus cambios en el tiempo que se pueden visualizar y analizar. La investigación del uso de las cuevas en una escala regional y la identificación de las relaciones entre las cuevas y los rasgos de la superficie, los estudios ayudaran nuestra comprensión del paisaje ritual y cómo coincide con las dinámicas sociopolíticas de los antiguos Mayas.
The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project: A Report of the 2015 Field Season, 2016
Ancient populations across the globe successfully employed wetland agricultural techniques in a v... more Ancient populations across the globe successfully employed wetland agricultural techniques in a variety of environmentally and climatically diverse landscapes throughout prehistory. Within the Maya Lowlands, these agricultural features figure prominently in the region comprised of northern Belize and southern Quintana Roo, an area supporting low-outflow rivers, large lagoons, and numerous bajo (swamp) features. Along the banks of the Hondo and New Rivers, the Maya effectively utilized wetland agricultural practices from the Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic Periods (1000 B.C.—A.D. 950). A number of past archaeological projects have thoroughly examined the construction and impact of these swampland modifications. After four decades of study, a more precise picture has formed in relation to the roles that these ditched field systems played in the regional development of the area. However, a detailed record of the full spatial extent, combined construction costs, and potential agricultural productivity has not been attempted on a larger scale. This thesis highlights these avenues of interest through data obtained from high- and medium-resolution satellite imagery and manipulated through geographic information systems (GIS) technology. The research explores environmental factors and topographic elements dictating the distribution of such entities, the energetic involvement required to construct and maintain the systems, and the efficiency of wetland techniques as compared to traditional milpa agriculture. Spatial analyses reveal a total of 254 distinct wetland field systems within the 6560 square kilometer area of interest, clustered along navigable waterways, seasonal lagoons, and upland landscapes separating the Hondo and New Rivers. Energetic estimates illustrate substantial investment in wetland field construction, spanning several generations based on a locally available workforce. However, productivity calculations associated with the ditched field systems commonly exceed those attributed to milpa techniques, suggesting agricultural surplus far beyond the immediate need. These combined data indicate the potential export of maize and other agricultural commodities to regional centers in northern Belize and further abroad during the Late Preclassic and Late to Terminal Classic Periods through riverine trade networks. Additionally, these data help illustrate participation trends and patterns of connectivity relating to tiered sites within the area of interest. This research contributes to the overall understanding of wetland agriculture within Mesoamerica as well as provides insight into the political management of intensive agricultural production during Maya prehistory.
Data collected from aerial lidar scanning provides new opportunities for archaeological survey. I... more Data collected from aerial lidar scanning provides new opportunities for archaeological survey. It is now possible, in a short period of time, to collect vast amounts of geographic data that would have taken years of pedestrian survey to acquire. This enhances and extends landscape studies by reducing time-frames and cost, encouraging analyses based on real-world data collection on a regional scale. This paper describes an approach for modeling the ritual landscape surrounding the ancient Maya center of Las Cuevas, Belize by analyzing the spatial aspects of ritual cave use. Using lidar-derived data, we describe a method for locating potential cave sites using Local Relief Models, which requires only a working knowledge of relief visualization techniques and no specialized skills in computer programming. Our method located the five known cave sites within our 222 km 2 lidar study area—including one with a fissure entrance. We plan to ground-truth potentialities to develop models of the ritual landscape that can be visualized and analyzed. By researching cave use on a regional scale and defining the relationships between caves and surface features, we advance cave studies by deepening our understanding of the ritual landscape and its articulation with ancient Maya socio/political dynamics. Los datos recolectados por el reconocimiento aéreo lidar ofrece nuevas oportunidades para el estudio arqueológico. Ahora en un período corto es posible recopilar grandes cantidades de datos geográficos que antes tomaban años para adquirir en un reconocimiento peatonal, pero las imágenes digitales todavía requieren interpretación y verificación en el terreno. El nuevo método mejora y amplía el estudio del paisaje en que se reduce el tiempo y los costos del estudio. En esta manera fomenta el análisis basado en la recolección de datos del mundo actual en una escala regional. En este artículo enfocamos en diferente métodos de modelar el paisaje ritual que rodea el antiguo centro maya de Las Cuevas, Belice mediante el análisis de los aspectos espaciales de uso ritual de una cueva. Utilizando los datos de lidar, describimos un método para localizar posibles sitios de cuevas utilizando Shaded Relief Models que sólo requiere un conocimiento práctico de las técnicas de visualización, sin el conocimiento especializado en la programación de computadoras. Estamos a favor de un enfoque híbrido utilizando tanto automatizado y manual de evaluación, que ha demostrado ser eficaz en la búsqueda de las posibilidades más prometedoras. Nuestro método nos permitió a localizar todas las cuevas conocidas en el área de lidar de 222 km 2 —incluso aquellas con entradas estrechas y horizontales. Con estos datos en mano tenemos la intención de desarrollar modelos de paisaje ritual y sus cambios en el tiempo que se pueden visualizar y analizar. La investigación del uso de las cuevas en una escala regional y la identificación de las relaciones entre las cuevas y los rasgos de la superficie, los estudios ayudaran nuestra comprensión del paisaje ritual y cómo coincide con las dinámicas sociopolíticas de los antiguos Mayas.