| RESULTS Chipped stone tools and debris recovered in this assemblage are produced mainly from chert readily available throughout Northern Belize an area described as having abundant high quality chert. Mitchum (1991:45) believes this is generally true but the localities of these cherts are restricted to certain areas within Northern Belize, described and mapped by Wright et al. as 'flint bearing' soils. A major stone production center found in this 'flint bearing' zone is Colha only ca. 35km northeast of Lamanai. The raw materials that stone tools are produced from both at Lamanai and Colha are similar in form and material. Colha has evidence of tool production from Middle Preclassic to Early Postclassic Maya occupation (ca 600BC-AD1250) (Mitchum 1991:45, Roemer 1991:55). Pendergast recovered lithic material from Early Postclassic contexts (AD900-1200) at both Lamanai and Altun Ha that are similar to tools and debris from Colha. Although no formal analysis of raw material or tool types have been conducted yet this appears to be the case for continued excavations at Lamanai. |