| Maya E Groups: Calendars, Astronomy, and Urbanism in the Early Lowlands Contributor(s): Freidel, David a. (Editor), Chase, Arlen F. (Editor), Dowd, Anne S. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0813064392 ISBN-13: 9780813064390 Publisher: University Press of Florida OUR PRICE: $44.55 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 2020 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Architecture | History - Prehistoric & Primitive - Social Science | Archaeology |
| Series: Maya Studies |
| Physical Information: 1.31" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.99 lbs) 654 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Prehistoric |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: As complex societies emerged in the Maya lowlands during the first millenŽnium BCE, so did stable communities focused around public squares and the worship of a divine ruler tied to a Maize God cult. "E Groups," central to many of these settleŽments, are architectural complexes: typically, a long platform supporting three strucŽtures and facing a western pyramid across a formal plaza. Aligned with the movements of the sun, E Groups have long been interpreted as giant calendrical devices crucial to the rise of Maya civilization. This volume presents new archaeological data to reveal that E Groups were constructed earlier than previously thought. In fact, they are the earliest identifiable architectural plan at many Maya settlements. More than just astronomical observatories or calendars, E Groups were a key eleŽment of community organization, urbanism, and identity in the heart of the Maya lowlands. They served as gathering places for emerging communities and centers of ritual; they were the very first civic-religious public architecture in the Maya lowlands. Investigating a wide variety of E Group sites--including some of the most famous like the Mundo Perdido in Tikal and the hitherto little known complex at Chan, as well as others in Ceibal, El Palmar, Cival, Calakmul, Caracol, Xunantunich, Yaxnohcah, Yaxun , and San Bartolo--this volume pieces together the development of social and political complexity in ancient Maya civilization. Contributors: James Aimers Anthony F. Aveni Jamie J. Awe Boris Beltran M. Kathryn Brown Arlen F. Chase Diane Z. Chase Anne S. Dowd James Doyle Francisco Estrada-Belli David A. Freidel Julie A. Hoggarth Takeshi Inomata Patricia A. Mcanany Susan Milbrath Jerry Murdock Kathryn Reese-Taylor Prudence M. Rice Cynthia Robin Franco D. Rossi Jeremy A. Sabloff William A. Saturno Travis W. Stanton A volume in the series Maya Studies, edited by Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase |
Contributor Bio(s): Dowd, Anne S.: - Anne S. Dowd, archaeologist with the National Park Service, is coeditor of Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica.Murdock, Jerry: - Jerry Murdock is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Santa Fe Institute and the Aspen Institute.Freidel, David a.: - David A. Freidel is professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis.Chase, Arlen F.: - Arlen F. Chase is professor of anthropology at Pomona College, Claremont. |