The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

This form is thoroughly described in lithic reports from Belize (see Table 5.1),
and is often used as a temporal marker for the Preclassic (Shafer and Hester 1990). Only
a few possible examples of this form were found at Piedras Negras (Figure 5.3.1), but
none of these is securely dated to the Preclassic period. These few examples may
represent curated pieces or a Late Classic resurgence of this form in the western area of
the Maya Lowlands, but it is clear that the materials and technology are different from all
other large, bifacial celts found at Piedras Negras. The material is relatively fine and light
in color (i.e., white, cream, pink, and purple), indicating that local material may not have
been used in the manufacture of these tools. These celts are thinner than other Classic
period celts (1-2 cm) and are about as long as those described by Shafer and Hester
(1983) for the Preclassic celt or “oval biface.” There also is evidence of pressure flaking
or fine percussion work on the lateral areas of the piece, a markedly different pattern
from the large celtiform biface, thick type (Figure 5.3.2). Typical Classic-period celts are
thicker, made of a grainier material, and were reduced without the goal of thinning the
biface.
5.4.1.1.2: Large and Medium Celtiform Biface, Thick (see Figure 5.2 #2 and #11). These
types were manufactured by direct percussion. They are at least 12 cm long for the large
type and 8 cm for the medium type. It is wider at the distal end of the tool than the
proximal. Some of the artifacts in this category feature a polished bit on the distal end. A
thick, diamond-shaped cross section was a desired result of the reduction process.
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