A pXRF analysis of utilitarian pottery from the Late Classic Maya polity of Lower Dover, Belize

Abstract

The distribution of utilitarian pottery was a key component of the Classic (∼300–900 CE) Maya domestic economy, yet few studies have used geochemical sourcing of pottery to reconstruct local patterns of household interaction. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis of pottery offers a promising approach, since it requires little sample preparation and is minimally destructive. While previous pXRF studies have identified limitations in sensitivity and precision, the method enables rapid analysis of large assemblages, which is necessary for characterizing inter- and intra-assemblage geochemical variability. To test this method, we analyzed 1,236 utilitarian pottery sherds from three ceramic types (Belize Red, Cayo Unslipped, and Dolphin Head Red) recovered from eight household contexts in two districts at Lower Dover, a small Late Classic (600–900 CE) Maya polity in the upper Belize River Valley of west-central Belize. Most vessels share similar geochemical compositions, suggesting local production; however, a small number of outliers likely represent imported items. Analyzed specimens fall into six compositional groups, most of which were also evenly distributed among different settlement groups, suggesting relatively uniform consumption across social statuses. This may imply that the inhabitants of hinterland districts acquired some of their pottery from a common, centralized marketplace rather than through localized or household-level production and exchange. As one of the largest ceramic pXRF studies in the Maya region, and one of the few focused on household contexts, this case study demonstrates the potential of pXRF for reconstructing pottery consumption and procurement patterns at the polity, district, and household level.