| The study of households or domestic groups is of relevance to the study of human cultures around the world as they are ideal locations for studying a complex range of behaviors across all socioeconomic strata. The exploration of households in archaeological contexts reveals valuable information about the nuanced functioning of society that is not always apparent from the excavation of monumental and public architecture. The following thesis presents a discussion of household archaeology in the Maya area, and the results from the TRIP excavation of Structure 45---a low, Late/Terminal Classic residential platform---at the site of Lubaantun, Belize. Extensive vertical and horizontal excavation was employed in order to explore the building, occupation, and use history of this structure. Excavation revealed that Structure 45 was an elite residential platform composed of four major phases of construction, and in antiquity most likely supported a perishable superstructure. Ceramic and lithic evidence suggest that it was the locus of food consumption activities but few activities related to food preparation or storage. |
