Comparative Archaeology Database | Center for Comparative Archaeology | University of Pittsburgh
Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Faunal Dataset
The data files below provide faunal inventories for the Baking Pot Site of the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance (BVAR) Project, collected from 1992 - 2022. Information on area of discovery, taxa, modification, and more are included.
[Comma delimited UTF-8 format]
[Excel format]
Code definitions for the variables shown below are provided here. Each line in the .CSV file represents all specimens that are of the same taxon, element, portion, age, sex, and modification from a given context. There are 2,334 lines each with 35 variables separated by commas. The variables are listed in the following order:
| 1 | Entry Number |
| 2 | Box Number |
| 3 | Period |
| 4 | Context 1 - section of Baking Pot site |
| 5 | Hierarchical Group - tiers of the settlement system
1: Polity Capital/Major Center 2: Secondary Minor Center 3: Tertiary Minor Center 4: Small Minor Center 5: High-status commoner household 6: Low-status commoner household |
| 6 | Context 2 - type of deposit that contained the fauna |
| 7 | Date of Excavation |
| 8 | Bag Number |
| 9 | Group - broad category that specifies the location within the site epicenter or settlement |
| 10 | Structure/Area - structure or area within a site which was excavated/surveyed where the material was collected |
| 11 | Lot - lot information filled out on the artifact card |
| 12 | Operation - designation of site or area within the site and the year of excavation |
| 13 | Excavation Unit - specific excavation unit in which the faunal materials were recovered |
| 14 | Level - stratigraphic level from which the materials were recovered |
| 15 | This Lot Is - records the "Lot is" as filled out on the artifact card and following the information provided in the BVAR staff manual |
| 16 | Catalog Number |
| 17 | Quantity - the frequency of each specimen |
| 18 | Phylum |
| 19 | Class |
| 20 | Order |
| 21 | Family |
| 22 | Genus/Species |
| 23 | Body Portion - describes the portion the individual skeletal element comes from anatomically |
| 24 | Element - identifies the specific bone on the animal or portion of exoskeleton |
| 25 | Side - side of the body the specimen is from (appendicular and cranial elements are typically sided, while vertebrae are not) |
| 26 | Portion - portion of the specific skeletal element present |
| 27 | Age - age of the specimen, if features used for ageing are present |
| 28 | Sex - identifies sex, when discernible, of the specimen |
| 29 | Size - size class of the specimen
A breakdown of the classes and the sources of these determinations can be found here |
| 30 | Modification - standardized methods for identifying natural and cultural modifications to the specimens through taphonomic processes |
| 31 | Artifact - identifies what specific artifact the faunal or shell materials have been transformed into (if applicable) |
| 32 | Special Find - includes special find designations determined by projects in the overall spreadsheet and data analysis but also provides a simple means of pulling data about special finds to share with staff needing the information |
| 33 | Weight in grams |
| 34 | Comments - any additional information |
| 35 | Measurements taken following von den Driesch, Angela. 1976. A Guide to the Measurement of Animal Bones from Archaeological Sites. Peabody Musuem Bulletins, Vol. 1. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts. |
The first line of the .CSV file, for example, looks like this:
1,2,Late Classic,Settlement,4,Domestic,6-Jun-11,CCB2019-394,Lubul Huh,M-410A,410A-2,SR3,410A-1,1,HUMUS,F1009,1,CHORDATA,MAMMALIA,DIDELPHIMORPHIA,DIDELPHIDAE,CF. DIDELPHIS SP.,AXL,VT,N,ARC,UN,UN,SM-MED,STN,NA,N,0.7,,
This means that the faunal artifact is the first entry and from box number 2. It is from the Late Classic Period and found in a settlement context. It is in hierarchical group 4, a small minor center, and found in domestic fill. It was excavated June 6, 2011 and has the bag number CCB2019-394. It is a part of the Lubul Huh settlement group and structure/area M-410A in lot number 410A-2. It was excavated with operation SR3, in excavation unit 410A-1 in level 1, soil layer humus. The catalog number is F1009 and only 1 was found. It is of the Chordata phylum, Mammalia class, Didelphimorphia order, Didelphidae family, and the Cf. Didelphis Sp. species. It is part of the axial body portion, is vertebrae, and is not sideable. It is a portion of the vertebral arch and age as well as sex are unknown. It is of a small to medium size class and has some staining. It is not identified as an artifact or a special find. It weighs 0.7 g. No additional comments or measurements are provided.