Heather McKillop
Louisiana State University, Geography & Anthropology, Faculty Member
- Anthropology, Geography, Archaeology, Maya Archaeology, Obsidian, Belizean Studies, and 27 moreEducation, Sea-Level Rise, Prehistoric salt production, Archaeological and Heritage Tourism, Belize archaeology, Archaeological Tourism, 3D Laser Scanning (Archaeology), 3D printing, Archaeological GIS, Classic Maya (Archaeology), Mangrove Ecology, Archaeology of shell middens, Ancient Maya, Shell middens, ancient Maya political economy, Canoe Navigation, Zooarchaeology, El Mirador, Mexican turkey, Animal Trade, Maya turkey, Philosophy, History, Enamel Hypoplasia, Economic archaeology, Craft production (Archaeology), and OXTANKAHedit
- I have carried out archaeological fieldwork on the coast, cays, and underwater along the coast of Belize since 1979,... moreI have carried out archaeological fieldwork on the coast, cays, and underwater along the coast of Belize since 1979, first at Moho Cay (near Belize City), then Wild Cane Cay (in the far south near Punta Gorda), regional survey in the Port Honduras coastal region, and underwater in Paynes Creek National Park. Since our 2004 discovery of ancient Maya wooden architecture preserved in mangrove peat below the seafloor, my interests have focused on the discovery, mapping, excavation, conservation (including 3D scanning and 3D printing) of waterlogged wood and other objects. I have a team of LSU undergraduate and graduate students, along with an interdisciplinary team of researchers. I started the Digital Imaging and Visualization in Archaeology (DIVA) Lab at LSU to image waterlogged and fragile wooden and other objects. We have created exhibits featuring 3D printed replicas of artifacts and architectural remains.edit
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... 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.
(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.
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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... 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.
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... Christmas, Sylvia Christmas, Linda Clark, Gerry Cole, Pat Colquette, Jim Concannon, Matthew Crampton, Michelle Cristo, Anne Daniels, Marie Dee, Chris Degraffenreid, Ellen Devine, Kate Devine, Carol Dodds, Scott Dougald, Bob Eisenberg,... more
... Christmas, Sylvia Christmas, Linda Clark, Gerry Cole, Pat Colquette, Jim Concannon, Matthew Crampton, Michelle Cristo, Anne Daniels, Marie Dee, Chris Degraffenreid, Ellen Devine, Kate Devine, Carol Dodds, Scott Dougald, Bob Eisenberg, Lila Eisenberg, Ken Foster ...
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... The Aftermath of Hurrican Katrina. Heather McKillop. Article first published online: 30 DEC 2008. DOI: 10.1525/an.2005.46.9.16. Issue. ... First page of article. Get PDF (134K). More content like this. Find more content: like this... more
... The Aftermath of Hurrican Katrina. Heather McKillop. Article first published online: 30 DEC 2008. DOI: 10.1525/an.2005.46.9.16. Issue. ... First page of article. Get PDF (134K). More content like this. Find more content: like this article. Find more content written by: Heather McKillop. ...
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A research article from Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology (Vol. 11, 2014, pp. 297-306) that details the discovery of a Classic Maya Canoe Paddle and canoe, underscoring infrastructure of ancient Maya canoe transportation and... more
A research article from Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology (Vol. 11, 2014, pp. 297-306) that details the discovery of a Classic Maya Canoe Paddle and canoe, underscoring infrastructure of ancient Maya canoe transportation and coastal-inland salt trade. Additionally, the article explains how archaeologists are using 3D scanning in the field.
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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... 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
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 Interests: Mythology And Folklore, Economic History, Human Physiology, Sociology, Cultural Studies, and 76 moreGeography, Archaeology, Geology, Anthropology, Folklore, Cultural Sociology, Languages and Linguistics, Ethnoarchaeology, Cultural Heritage, Ethnography, History of Medicine, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Folk Medicine, Anthropology of Food, Heritage Tourism, Toponomastics, Economic Anthropology, Ethnographic Fieldwork (Anthropology), Indigenous Knowledge, Ethnography (Research Methodology), Ethnomethodology, History Of Food Consumption, Ethnopharmacology, Linguistics, Indigenous ecological knowledges and practices, Ethnographic fieldwork, History of salt, Archaeology of salt, Ethnographic Studies, Food Science and Technology, Toponymy, Cooking and Food Preparation (archaeology), Ethnoscience, Animal domestication, Raw materials (stone and ceramic), Mineral exploration, Human Ethology, Anthropology of Food and Nutrition, History of Veterinary Medicine, Prehistoric salt production, Animal feeding and nutrition, Ethnophysiography, History of Mineralogy, Folkloristics, History of Agriculture, Food Bio-preservation, History of food and nutrition, Ethnographic Analogy, Ethnography of salt, Salt Exchange in Prehistory, History of pharmacy, Economic Ethnography, Hide Treatment, Food Processing and Preservation, Native American Medicine, History of Cooking, Animal domestication; Plant domestication; Neolithisation; Mobile pastoralism; State formation; Near East; Central Asia; Environmental archaeology; Archaeological methodology; Anthropological theory, Salt In Prehistory, History of Cooking and Food Culture, History of Food Preservatives, Fish Sauce, Preservation of Foods, Hide Tanning, Culinary Heritage, Cultural Identity Expressed Through Culinary Practises, Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology, History of Leather Work, Salt Prehistoric Exploitation, Medieval History of Salt Commerce, History of Chemistry / Alchemy, Culinary Research, Folk Medicines, Archaeology of Eating and Drinking, Indigineous Knowledge Systems, Anthropology of Salt, and History of Animal Husbandry
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... 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
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