Book

Scribes, warriors, and kings: the city of Copán and the ancient Maya

Thames and HudsonNew York, N. Y.Published In 1991 • Pages: 192

By: Fash, William Leonard.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this work Fash synthesizes the findings of the late twentieth century research at the archaeological site at Copán, Honduras, with particular emphasis on the results of the Copán Mosaics Project which he directed. The author shows '…how fresh information garnered from breakthroughs in the decipherment of Copán inscriptions, studies of Copán architecture, and excavations in some of the elite buildings can be placed in the context of new understandings of the overall Copán Valley environment and settlement, to produce a richer and fuller picture of the development and ultimate demise of the great city than has hitherto been possible' (p. 8). Some of the major topics discussed in the text are early studies on the Copán area, its geography, the preclassic period as a forerunner to the classic in the region, political evolution from chiefdoms to the state, founders of the Copán dynasty, architecture, life under the reign of Yax Pac, and the political collapse of the state.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Historical reconstruction
Sociocultural trends
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Writing
Public structures
Recreational structures
Religious and educational structures
Visual arts
Chief executive
Burial practices and funerals
Chronologies and culture sequences
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Classic Maya
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Maya Area
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 1999
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1750 BP-1100 BP (250 A.D.-900 A.D.)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Copán site; Honduras
NotesAdditional notes
William L. Fash ; drawings by Barbara W. Fash
Includes bibliographical references (p. 184) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
91065316
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Mayas--Antiquities