From the Archaeological Institute of America:
Join us Thursday, April 7 at 1:00 pm ET, for an Archaeology Abridged presentation by Dr. Heather McKillop on her fascinating work with ancient Maya wooden structures discovered underwater off the coast of Belize. Wooden artifacts typically do not survive in the tropical Central American environment. These structures were preserved because they were buried below the sea floor in red mangrove peat. The discoveries provide a rare look at ordinary wooden buildings in a region of the ancient world that is dominated by stone buildings. McKillop will discuss the discovery, mapping, and excavation of these structures and describe how traditional field techniques had to be modified and adapted for use with the underwater sites.
This lecture will also be available in American Sign Language. ASL interpretation will be provided by Trail Blazing Interpreters. Due to Zoom limitations on mobile devices and tablets, participants interested in accessing ASL interpretation should log in using the desktop version of Zoom.
Dr. Heather McKillop is the Thomas & Lillian Landrum Alumni Professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. She earned her B.Sc. and M.A. in Anthropology at Trent University and her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. McKillop has carried out fieldwork along the coast of Belize since 1979. She has focused on the Paynes Creek Salt Works site since the 2004 discovery of the only known ancient Maya canoe paddle and preserved wooden buildings. In 2020 she received the Research Master Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Louisiana State University. Her publications include Maya Salt Works (2019), In Search of Maya Sea Traders (2005), Salt: White Gold of the Ancient Maya (2002), The Ancient Maya (2004), and Coastal Maya Trade (with co-editor Paul F. Healy). Dr. McKillop was interviewed on NPR’s Science Friday in 2018.
