Materials and Methods The faunal analysis was conducted at the Northern Arizona University, Department of Anthropology, Faunal Analysis Laboratory (NAUDAFAL). Species identification of the elements were conducted at NAUDAFAL, the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, and the Stanley J. Olsen Zooarchaeology Laboratory at Arizona State Museum in Tucson. Taphonomic effects were identified when present and compared to the taphonomic collection at NAUDAFAL. Number of identified specimens (NISP), identifying to skeletal element or taxa were completed as well. What is Taphonomy? Taphonomy is defined as the transition of animal remains from the biosphere to the lithosphere (Efremov 1940). Essentially taphonomy is the dynamic and complex events leading to the decay and burial organisms. Taphonomic agents are processes causing taphonomic effects to skeletal elements. For example, rodents are a taphonomic agent leaving behind the taphonomic effect of gnawing or tooth marks on bones. Humans are also taphonomic agents that can range from marks caused by sharp instruments, such as stone tools, to cut-work marks left by taking a string to a bone to disarticulate the shaft from its ends during bone adornment or tool production (Emery 2008). Diagenesis, another taphonomic process, is more specifically the post- depositional effects to bone, such as the chemical breakdown of bone surfaces through exfoliation or erosion (Lyman 1994). Results: Diagenesis Diagenetic or post-burial processes, including chemical alterations, occurred due to the amount of collapse and moisture in the limestone rich deposit (Lyman 1994). Calcium hydroxide (hydrated lime) was combined with admixtures and aggregates by the ancient Maya to create a cement for floors, stucco, and other forms of construction throughout their structures. When calcium hydroxide is saturated, it becomes limewater, causing the further cementation of the bones deposited in structure A9. Taphonomic Tomb Raider: Understanding the Diagenesis of an Elite Tomb at the Ancient Maya Site of Xunantunich, Belize Gavin B. Wisner, Katie K. Tappan, Dylan M. Wilson, Chrissina C. Burke, Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University Abstract An elite tomb excavated by the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project (BVAR) during the 2016 field season contained a diverse faunal collection heavily impacted by the tomb’s specific environmental taphonomy. Given the tomb was sealed, it is unexpected to have found the faunal remains in an overall degraded state, leading to analytical complications. The degradation of the remains may be a result of diagenetic processes of soil composition, limestone, and the humid environment of the tomb. The presence of carnivore gnawing on some of the faunal remains demonstrates that taphonomic processes occurred prior to their deposition in the tomb. A knowledge of the taphonomic effects of this specific environment can help us better analyze the importance of the faunal remains found in the tomb. This research aims to understand taphonomic effects of sealed tombs on faunal remains in the Maya region for improved interpretive power concerning the significance of animals in burials. Puncture 15% Scoring 11% Cut Marks 1% NA 73% LONG BONE CACHE TAPHONOMIC EFFECTS Discussion The ancient Maya dug into the bedrock beneath structure A9 during the construction of the tomb. Once the site was abandoned, water would have saturated the structure and drained into the tomb, leading to limewater, which cemented the long-bone cache and other materials in the to the floor. This process was recurring until the tombs excavation in 2016. The cache bones were heavily exfoliated and extremely difficult to excavate without heavy fragmentation. Most of the moisture absorbed by the bones was still present after exportation to the NAUDAFAL and this process contributed to the continued fragmentation and large NISP count from this assemblage. Introduction The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project (BVAR) conducted excavations at Xunantunich, structure A9 located in the Cayo District, Belize in the summer of 2016. These excavations revealed an elite Maya tomb, dating to the Classic period, containing 36 ceramic vessels, 6 jade beads, 13 obsidian blades, 2 bone hairs pins, 1 shell ring, shell adornments, third phalanges of a large cat, and a cache of mammalian long-bones. Our research focused on the faunal remains found associated directly with the human interment and the cache of long-bones at the feet of the body, particularly the taphonomic history of this assemblage that led to their poor preservation. Carnivore Gnawing Carnivores are taphonomic agents that leave identifiable effects including chipping back, crenellations, furrowing, pitting, punctures, and tooth scoring (Lyman 1984). The presence of carnivore gnawing on long-bones from the cache indicates they were previously exposed to the village environment prior to deposition in the tomb. Carnivore gnawing was present only on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and unidentified taxa appendicular elements consisting of heavily fragmented radii, tibiae, femora, a metatarsal, and unidentified long bone. Human behavioral modifications or rodent gnawing are not present with the exception of a small amount of cut marks. These cut marks were likely caused by the individuals collecting the materials for the tomb cache. Included in the long-bone cache is one patella, suggesting the limbs were placed in the pile fleshy. Difficulty in observing more cut marks is likely due to the diagenetic processes perpetuated by the concreted limestone and water mixture in which the bones were deposited. The limestone plaster floor, mixed with the humid and moist environment of the tomb led to the poor preservation of all skeletal elements. This poor preservation and fragmentation of the faunal remains also led to the high NISP through present. Conclusion Due to the taphonomic effects, we were forced to be conservative in our interpretation of the remains. Identification of the remains was helped by separating intact remains into bags prior to excavation. This allowed us to identify not only which element was which, but also the stages of these elements and led to further taxonomic identifications based on intact features of the bones. For instance, the proximal portion of a femur had enough features to distinguish it between the two leading to a jaguar identification within the tomb. In the future, we could better protect the skeletal remains in this type of humid context during excavation and in transport, by using sand as a drying agent after removal. References Cited: Efremov, J.A. 1940 Taphonomy: A New Branch of Paleontology. Pan-American Geologist 74(2):81-93. Emery, Kitty F. 2008 Techniques of Ancient Maya Bone Working: Evidence from a Classic Maya Deposit. Latin American Antiquity 19(2):204-221. Fisher, John W., Jr. 1995 Bone Surface Modifications in Zooarchaeology. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 2(1):7-68. Lyman, R. Lee 1994 Vertebrate Taphonomy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Shipman, Pat 1981 Life History of a Fossil: An Introduction to Taphonomy and Paleoecology. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Results: Taxa and NISP The NISP of faunal materials found within the tomb is 2264. Of these materials, we were confidently able to identify 191 number of specimens to white-tailed deer, 13 number of specimens to puma, and 47 number of specimens to jaguar. Modifications of A9 NISP %NISP Worked Shell 2 0.09% Cut-Worked 3 0.13% Puncture 332 14.66% Scoring 252 11.13% Cut Marks 25 1.10% NA 1650 72.88% TOTAL: 2264 Figure 4 on the right: Puma third phalanx (MNA) comparison with a third phalanx from the tomb. Figure 3: from left to right: A9 long bone cache during excavation, exfoliated femur and radius. Figure 1: from left to right: profile of structure A9, map of A9 tomb. Figure 2: Depiction of taphonomic processes (Shipman 1981). Figure 5: Top: exfoliated and punctured white-tailed deer radius; Bottom: heavy fragmentation of white-tailed deer radius. Figure 7: Top left bear gnawing marks; top right wolf gnawing marks; bottom left carnivore gnawing marks on white- tailed deer femoral head (A9 Tomb), bottom right mountain lion gnawing marks.