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AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 4 45Figure 4.1.14. Display of sherd frequency by ceramic group for Actun Toh.in fact correspond to the age of the floor. The samplefrom 30–40 cm produced a calibrated age of 1487–1224 BC. Although this sample was recovered from acultural stratum, it obviously can have no bearing onthe chronological assessment of the floor. Perhapscharcoal, resulting from a natural brush fire at the surfaceduring this period, washed into the cave. Here, itcould have remained for centuries before being incor-porated into the sub-floor fill as the ancientMaya collected the necessary building materialsfrom within the cave. The finalsample was recovered from 40–50 cm andproduced a calibrated age of 814–523 BC.Although Middle Preclassic ceramics werepresent in lower levels of the unit, I wouldconsider this sample’s chronological relationshipto its respective level to be suspectat best. The nature of the floor’s constructionhistory can be better understood byexamining the distribution of ceramic typesthroughout the unit (see table 4.1.3).As represented in the “battleship curve”in figure 4.1.16, Late Preclassic and EarlyClassic material are present at all levels ofthe unit. It is immediately apparent that theconstruction fill beneath the sascab layer isessentially homogenous. Even though themajority of the Middle Preclassic materialwas recovered from the lowest level, thissame level also contained Early Classicmaterial. Moreover, the presence of TitucOrange Polychrome and Cetelac Fibertemperedsherds restrict a terminus postquem construction date to the middle partof the Early Classic (ca. A.D. 450–550, seeBall [1982:108]). The occurrence of LatePreclassic sherds within the upper levels ofthe unit can be attributed to the inclusion of sherdbearingcave debris into a later construction episode.Most interesting is the presence of TerminalClassic Vista Alegre Striated sherds in the three upperlevels of unit A. Since the current surface of the floorconsists of tamped earth rather than plaster, the firstfew centimeters of the excavation can not be considereda sealed context. Nevertheless, the current surface ofTable 4.1.2. AMS Radiometric ages for Actun Toh, excavation unit A.Measurements conducted at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry,Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University ofCalifornia. (Calibration is made for 2 sigma using Calib 4.3.)Figure 4.1.15. Actun Toh. Unit A profile, NE sidewall (D. Rissolo).