In this Book
- Death and the Classic Maya Kings
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: University of Texas Press
- Series: The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies
summary
Like their regal counterparts in societies around the globe, ancient Maya rulers departed this world with elaborate burial ceremonies and lavish grave goods, which often included ceramics, red pigments, earflares, stingray spines, jades, pearls, obsidian blades, and mosaics. Archaeological investigation of these burials, as well as the decipherment of inscriptions that record Maya rulers’ funerary rites, have opened a fascinating window on how the ancient Maya envisaged the ruler’s passage from the world of the living to the realm of the ancestors. Focusing on the Classic Period (AD 250–900), James Fitzsimmons examines and compares textual and archaeological evidence for rites of death and burial in the Maya lowlands, from which he creates models of royal Maya funerary behavior. Exploring ancient Maya attitudes toward death expressed at well-known sites such as Tikal, Guatemala, and Copan, Honduras, as well as less-explored archaeological locations, Fitzsimmons reconstructs royal mortuary rites and expands our understanding of key Maya concepts including the afterlife and ancestor veneration.
Table of Contents
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- List of Figures and Tables
- pp. xi-xiii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xix
- One: Celebrations for the Dead
- pp. 1-16
- Three: Royal Funerals
- pp. 61-104
- Four: Death and Landscape
- pp. 105-141
- Six: The Dead King and the Body Politic
- pp. 170-183
- Guide to Appendixes
- pp. 185-187
- Appendix 1
- pp. 188-193
- Appendix 2
- pp. 194-201
- Appendix 3
- pp. 202-207
- References
- pp. 227-259
Additional Information
ISBN
9780292793705
Related ISBN(s)
9780292718906
MARC Record
OCLC
318246077
Pages
321
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No