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Book Identifying the Impact of the Spanish Colonial Regime on Maya Household Production at Lamanai  Belize During the Terminal Postclassical to Early Colonial Transition

Download or read book Identifying the Impact of the Spanish Colonial Regime on Maya Household Production at Lamanai Belize During the Terminal Postclassical to Early Colonial Transition written by Darcy Lynn Wiewall and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 1126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Rome and the Classic Maya

Download or read book Rome and the Classic Maya written by Rebecca Storey and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-01-20 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume compares two of the most famous cases of civilizational collapse, that of the Roman Empire and the Classic Maya world. First examining the concept of collapse, and how it has been utilized in the historical, archaeological and anthropological study of past complex societies, Storey and Storey draw on extensive archaeological evidence to consider the ultimate failure of the institutions, infrastructure and material culture of both of these complex cultures. Detailing the relevant economic, political, social and environmental factors behind these notable falls, Rome and the Classic Maya contends that a phenomenon of “slow collapse” has repeatedly occurred in the course of human history: complex civilizations are shown to eventually come to an end and give way to new cultures. Through their analysis of these two ancient case studies, the authors also present intriguing parallels to the modern world and offer potential lessons for the future.

Book Archaeomineralogy

    Book Details:
  • Author : George R. Rapp
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2013-03-09
  • ISBN : 3662050056
  • Pages : 329 pages

Download or read book Archaeomineralogy written by George R. Rapp and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1.1 Prologue What is archaeomineralogy? The term has been used at least once before (Mitchell 1985), but this volume is the first publication to lay down the scientific basis and systematics for this subdiscipline. Students sometimes call an introductory archaeology course "stones and bones." Archaeomineralogy covers the stones component of this phrase. Of course, archaeology consists of a great deal more than just stones and bones. Contemporary archaeology is based on stratigraphy, geomorphology, chronometry, behavioral inferences, and a host of additional disciplines in addition to those devoted to stones and bones. To hazard a definition: archaeomineralogy is the study of the minerals and rocks used by ancient societies over space and time, as implements, orna ments, building materials, and raw materials for ceramics and other processed products. Archaeomineralogy also attempts to date, source, or otherwise char acterize an artifact or feature, or to interpret past depositional alteration of archaeological contexts. Unlike geoarchaeology, archaeomineralogy is not, and is not likely to become, a recognized subdiscipline. Practitioners of archaeomineralogy are mostly geoarchaeologists who specialize in geology and have a strong background in mineralogy or petrology (the study of the origin ofrocks).

Book Twin Tollans

    Book Details:
  • Author : Cynthia Kristan-Graham
  • Publisher : Dumbarton Oaks
  • Release : 2007
  • ISBN : 9780884023234
  • Pages : 658 pages

Download or read book Twin Tollans written by Cynthia Kristan-Graham and published by Dumbarton Oaks. This book was released on 2007 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume had its beginnings in the two-day colloquium, "Rethinking Chichén Itzá, Tula and Tollan," that was held at Dumbarton Oaks. The selected essays revisit long-standing questions regarding the nature of the relationship between Chichen Itza and Tula. Rather than approaching these questions through the notions of migrations and conquests, these essays place the cities in the context of the emerging social, political, and economic relationships that took shape during the transition from the Epiclassic period in Central Mexico, the Terminal Classic period in the Maya region, and the succeeding Early Postclassic period.

Book Landscapes and Societies

    Book Details:
  • Author : I. Peter Martini
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2010-11-09
  • ISBN : 904819413X
  • Pages : 475 pages

Download or read book Landscapes and Societies written by I. Peter Martini and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-11-09 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains case histories intended to show how societies and landscapes interact. The range of interest stretches from the small groups of the earliest Neolithic, through Bronze and Iron Age civilizations, to modern nation states. The coexistence is, of its very nature reciprocal, resulting in changes in both society and landscape. In some instances the adaptations may be judged successful in terms of human needs, but failure is common and even the successful cases are ephemeral when judged in the light of history. Comparisons and contrasts between the various cases can be made at various scales from global through inter-regional, to regional and smaller scales. At the global scale, all societies deal with major problems of climate change, sea-level rise, and with ubiquitous problems such as soil erosion and landscape degradation. Inter-regional differences bring out significant detail with one region suffering from drought when another suffers from widespread flooding. For example, desertification in North Africa and the Near East contrasts with the temperate countries of southern Europe where the landscape-effects of deforestation are more obvious. And China and Japan offer an interesting comparison from the standpoint of geological hazards to society - large, unpredictable and massively erosive rivers in the former case, volcanoes and accompanying earthquakes in the latter. Within the North African region localized climatic changes led to abandonment of some desertified areas with successful adjustments in others, with the ultimate evolution into the formative civilization of Egypt, the "Gift of the Nile". At a smaller scale it is instructive to compare the city-states of the Medieval and early Renaissance times that developed in the watershed of a single river, the Arno in Tuscany, and how Pisa, Siena and Florence developed and reached their golden periods at different times depending on their location with regard to proximity to the sea, to the main trunk of the river, or in the adjacent hills. Also noteworthy is the role of technology in opening up opportunities for a society. Consider the Netherlands and how its history has been formed by the technical problem of a populous society dealing with too much water, as an inexorably rising sea threatens their landscape; or the case of communities in Colorado trying to deal with too little water for farmers and domestic users, by bringing their supply over a mountain chain. These and others cases included in the book, provide evidence of the successes, near misses and outright failures that mark our ongoing relationship with landscape throughout the history of Homo sapiens. The hope is that compilations such as this will lead to a better understanding of the issue and provide us with knowledge valuable in planning a sustainable modus vivendi between humanity and landscape for as long as possible. Audience: The book will interest geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, archaeologists, anthropologists, ecologists, environmentalists, historians and others in the academic world. Practically, planners and managers interested in landscape/environmental conditions will find interest in these pages, and more generally the increasingly large body of opinion in the general public, with concerns about Planet Earth, will find much to inform their opinions. Extra material: The color plate section is available at http://extras.springer.com

Book The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands

Download or read book The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands written by Arthur Andrew Demarest and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands revisits one of the great problems in Mayan archaeology - the apparent collapse of Classic Maya civilization from roughly A.D. 830 to 950. During this period the Maya abandoned their power centers in the southern lowlands and rather abruptly ceased the distinctive cultural practices that marked their apogee in the Classic period. Archaeological fieldwork during the past three decades, however, has uncovered enormous regional variability in the ways the Maya experienced the shift from Classic to Postclassic society, revealing a period of cultural change more complex than acknowledged by traditional models. Featuring an impressive roster of scholars, The Terminal Classic presents the most recent data and interpretations pertaining to this perplexing period of cultural transformation in the Maya lowlands. Although the research reveals clear interregional patterns, the contributors resist a single overarching explanation. Rather, this volume's diverse and nuanced interpretations provide a new, more properly grounded beginning for continued debate on the nature of lowland Terminal Classic Maya civilization.

Book Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya

Download or read book Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya written by Andrew K. Scherer and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2015-11-15 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the tombs of the elite to the graves of commoners, mortuary remains offer rich insights into Classic Maya society. In Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya: Rituals of Body and Soul, the anthropological archaeologist and bioarchaeologist Andrew K. Scherer explores the broad range of burial practices among the Maya of the Classic period (AD 250–900), integrating information gleaned from his own fieldwork with insights from the fields of iconography, epigraphy, and ethnography to illuminate this society’s rich funerary traditions. Scherer’s study of burials along the Usumacinta River at the Mexican-Guatemalan border and in the Central Petén region of Guatemala—areas that include Piedras Negras, El Kinel, Tecolote, El Zotz, and Yaxha—reveals commonalities and differences among royal, elite, and commoner mortuary practices. By analyzing skeletons containing dental and cranial modifications, as well as the adornments of interred bodies, Scherer probes Classic Maya conceptions of body, wellness, and the afterlife. Scherer also moves beyond the body to look at the spatial orientation of the burials and their integration into the architecture of Maya communities. Taking a unique interdisciplinary approach, the author examines how Classic Maya deathways can expand our understanding of this society’s beliefs and traditions, making Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya an important step forward in Mesoamerican archeology.

Book Mexico

    Book Details:
  • Author : Michael D. Coe
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2008
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 262 pages

Download or read book Mexico written by Michael D. Coe and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Masterly....The complexities of Mexico's ancient cultures are perceptively presented and interpreted.--Library Journal

Book Kukulkan s Realm

    Book Details:
  • Author : Marilyn Masson
  • Publisher : University Press of Colorado
  • Release : 2014-04-15
  • ISBN : 1492012734
  • Pages : 756 pages

Download or read book Kukulkan s Realm written by Marilyn Masson and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 756 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kukulkan's Realm chronicles the fabric of socioeconomic relationships and religious practice that bound the Postclassic Maya city of Mayapán's urban residents together for nearly three centuries. Presenting results of ten years of household archaeology at the city, including field research and laboratory analysis, the book discusses the social, political, economic, and ideological makeup of this complex urban center. Masson and Peraza Lope's detailed overview provides evidence of a vibrant market economy that played a critical role in the city's political and economic success. They offer new perspectives from the homes of governing elites, secondary administrators, affluent artisans, and poorer members of the service industries. Household occupational specialists depended on regional trade for basic provisions that were essential to crafting industries, sustenance, and quality of life. Settlement patterns reveal intricate relationships of households with neighbors, garden plots, cultivable fields, thoroughfares, and resources. Urban planning endeavored to unite the cityscape and to integrate a pluralistic populace that derived from hometowns across the Yucatán peninsula. New data from Mayapán, the pinnacle of Postclassic Maya society, contribute to a paradigm change regarding the evolution and organization of Maya society in general and make Kukulkan's Realm a must-read for students and scholars of the ancient Maya and Mesoamerica.

Book New Perspectives on Human Sacrifice and Ritual Body Treatments in Ancient Maya Society

Download or read book New Perspectives on Human Sacrifice and Ritual Body Treatments in Ancient Maya Society written by Vera Tiesler and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-02-15 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines Maya sacrifice and related posthumous body manipulation. The editors bring together an international group of contributors from the area studied: archaeologists as well as anthropologists, forensic anthropologists, art historians and bioarchaeologists. This interdisciplinary approach provides a comprehensive perspective on these sites as well as the material culture and biological evidence found there

Book An Analysis of Classic Lowland Maya Burials

Download or read book An Analysis of Classic Lowland Maya Burials written by W. Bruce M. Welsh and published by British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited. This book was released on 1988 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A London thesis classifying and analysing graves and their structures, contents, arrangement, orientation followed by consideration of the social implications of this evidence.

Book Late Lowland Maya Civilization

Download or read book Late Lowland Maya Civilization written by Jeremy A. Sabloff and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a series of essays that offers a framework for the study of lowland Maya settlement patterns, surveying the range of interpretive ideas about ancient Maya remains.--Publisher's description.

Book Fall of the Ancient Maya

    Book Details:
  • Author : David Webster
  • Publisher : National Geographic Books
  • Release : 2002-06-04
  • ISBN : 0500051135
  • Pages : 0 pages

Download or read book Fall of the Ancient Maya written by David Webster and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2002-06-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient Maya civilization thrived in the tropics of Central America for more than a thousand years and produced some of the world's finest architecture and art. Then it mysteriously vanished, leaving a landscape of ruins smothered by forests. The Classic Maya collapse is one of the great puzzles of history, ranking alongside the Fall of Rome as an enigma that has intrigued scholars for generations.

Book The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas

Download or read book The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas written by Bruce G. Trigger and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher description: The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas, Volume II: Mesoamerica (Part One), gives a comprehensive and authoritative overview of all the important native civilizations of the Mesoamerican area, beginning with archaeological discussions of paleoindian, archaic and preclassic societies and continuing to the present. Fully illustrated and engagingly written, the book is divided into sections that discuss the native cultures of Mesoamerica before and after their first contact with the Europeans. The various chapters balance theoretical points of view as they trace the cultural history and evolutionary development of such groups as the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec, the Zapotec, and the Tarascan. The chapters covering the prehistory of Mesoamerica offer explanations for the rise and fall of the Classic Maya, the Olmec, and the Aztec, giving multiple interpretations of debated topics, such as the nature of Olmec culture. Through specific discussions of the native peoples of the different regions of Mexico, the chapters on the period since the arrival of the Europeans address the themes of contact, exchange, transfer, survivals, continuities, resistance, and the emergence of modern nationalism and the nation-state.

Book The Olmecs

    Book Details:
  • Author : Richard A. Diehl
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2004
  • ISBN : 9780500021194
  • Pages : 498 pages

Download or read book The Olmecs written by Richard A. Diehl and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a complete overview of Olmec culture, its accomplishments and impact on later Mexcian civilizations.