Classic Maya Political History
Hieroglyphic and Archaeological Evidence
Edited by T. Patrick Culbert
Ancient Maya civilization once flourished in the rainforests of what is today southern Mexico and Central America. It possessed the only full system of writing ever to be developed in the Americas. The pace of decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing has accelerated in the last few years, and half of the inscriptions from the sites of the Classic Period (AD 250–900) have now been read. Much of the newly available information consists of historical records of the careers of Maya rulers of the time.
This volume is the first to present in detail the results of decipherment and to consider the implications of a Classic Maya written history. Contributors examine the way in which the Maya elite created the kinship, alliance, warfare, and ceremonial networks on which the civilization was founded. Drawing upon important material just recently made available, they have transformed our understanding of the Maya.
1991. 576 pp., Figures, tables, maps, notes, references, index., 6 x 9
Contributors: T. Patrick Culbert, William L. Fash, Norman Hammond, Christopher Jones, Peter Mathews, Linda Schele, Peter R. Schmidt, Robert J. Sharer, David S. Stuart, Gordon R. Willey, Linnea H. Wren, Norman Yoffee
Classic Maya Political History inquiry:
List of Tables
Contributors
Preface
- Introduction
Norman Hammond - Classic Maya Emblem Glyphs
Peter Mathews - Prehistoric polities of the Pasion region: hieroglyphic texts and their archaeological settings
Peter Mathews and Gordon R. Willey - An epigraphic history of the western Maya region
Linda Schele - Cycles of growth at Tikal
Christopher Jones - Polities in the northeast Peten, Guatemala
T. Patrick Culbert - Dynastic history and culutral evolution at Copan, Honduras
William L. Fash and David S. Stuart - Diversity and continuity in Maya civilization: Quirigua as a case study
Robert S. Sharer - Elite interaction during the Terminal Classic period: new evidence from Chichen Itza
Linnea H. Wren and Peter Schmidt - Royal visits and other intersite relationships among the Classic Maya
Linda Schele and Peter Mathews - Inside the black box: defining Maya polity
Norman Hammond - Maya elite interaction: through a glass, sideways
Norman Yoffee - Maya political history and elite interaction: a summary view
T. Patrick Culbert