article
Kingship in the Late Preclassic Maya lowlands: the instruments and places of ritual power
American anthropologist • 90 • Published In 1988 • Pages: 547-567
By: Freidel, David A., Schele, Linda.
Abstract
In this article, Freidal and Schele explore the Preclassic origins of Mayan kingship, the institution of AHAW. They argue that the institution developed in the first century B.C. to accommodate contradictions between an egalitarian ethos and emerging elite. This change happened prior to the collapse of Preclassic society and manifested itself in the sudden surge of construction that occurred in the Late Preclassic lowland centers. Freidal and Schele surmise that Late Preclassic society collapsed because it failed to develop principles and a system for succession. The authors also read into the Late Preclassic iconography the Classic symbols associated with AHAW, such as the QUINCUNX glyph, a symbol for ruling office, and the Jester God, a semantic determinative of AHAW.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2001
- Region
- Middle America and the Caribbean
- Sub Region
- Maya Area
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 2000
- Field Date
- not specified
- Coverage Date
- 2350-1900 BP
- Coverage Place
- Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico
- Notes
- David A. Freidel and Linda Schele
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 564-567)
- LCCN
- 17015424
- LCSH
- Mayas--Antiquities