ancient civilizations of the americas lecture 13

Ancient Civilizations of the Americas Lecture 13

Early Classic Tikal

Tikal- Ti-k’al “Place of Spirits” in Yucatec

Ti ak’al “At the Waterhole” Refers to reservoir in city

Ti’k’al – Place of the Count of the Katun (Coggins and Jones)

Ancient Name: Yax Mutal “First Flower” “Topknot” (Mod. Motul) David Stuart

History of Tikal Investigations

Site was occupied in the 19th century

Visited in 1848 by Modesto Mendez and Ambrosio Tut

1877 Dr. Gustav Bernoulli – Swiss, removed three lintels.

1881-82 Alfred Percival Maudslay – Mapped and photographed temples.

1895, 1904 Teobert Maler – Mapped site for Peabody Museum.

1910 Alfred Tozzer – Mapped the temples.

1914-1928 Sylvanus P.Morley – collected inscriptions.

Photographs by A.P. Maudslay

1880’s

The Tikal Project 1955-1969

Undertaken by the University Museum of Pennsylvania

Directed by: 1) Ed Shook 1955-1961 Mapped the site and trenched the acropolis. Aubry Trik – architect.

2) Robert S. Dyson 1962 Excavation crew numbers 100

3) William R. Coe II 1963-1969

113 professional archaeologists served on the project.

30+ volumes of reports planned

Proyecto Nacional Tikal 1979-1989

Excavated 5C-XVI Group south of the Lost World pyramid.

Formative Tikal – The Middle Preclassic 800-600 BC

Concentrations of Eb ceramics found under the North Acropolis and Lost World (Mundo Perdido) pyramid

Lost World Pyramid (5C-54)

Tikal was located at the edge of a lake (bajo) at a good chert source.

No architecture discovered, apart from chultuns.

Late Preclassic 350 BC – 250 AD

•City expands along an E-W axis

•E-group constructed at Lost World complex

•Lost World pyramid originally had masks of night and day jaguar – sun god K’inich Ahau.

•North Acropolis used for royal burials. First building dates to 250-100 BC. Tomb decorations in Izapa style.

First version of Lost World pyramid built 500 BC

History Begins at Tikal – Burial 85, North Acropolis

Male buried in front of 5D-sub-1 1st

Martin and Grube hypothesize that it might be

Yax Ehb’ Xook founder of Classic dynasty 219-238 AD

Royal Ancestor

Extent of Settlement: AD 150

Chak Tok Ich’aak – dies Jan. 31, 378 AD,

AD 378 Teotihuacan Attacks?

General: Siyaj K’ak installs Yax Nuun Ayiin as king in AD 379 Siyaj K’ak: “Fire is Born.”

The “marcador”

The marcador celebrates a victory over Uaxactun, erected AD 414

Talud-Tablero style

Burial 10, found

Beneath temple 5D-34 North Acropolis, of

Yax Nuun Ayiin

“First Crocodile”

Dies AD 426

Stela 31

Accession

of Siyaj

Chan

K’awiil II

Called

Stormy

Sky in your

Textbook

AD 436

Ancestor

Siyaj Chan K’awiil

Buried minus his head and hands a year after his death in March 457 AD. Glyphs state tomb lies in the “Flowery Ether of Divine Space”

Some Political Terminology from Tikal

Kuhul Ahau also spelled ajaw: King – literally means “holy lord.” Concept changed during the Early Classic.

Chacte or Ochkin Kalomte “Lord of the West”: Emperor – ruler of realm larger than a single city. Applied to Spearthrower Owl.

Yajaw: Vassal, relational term.

Other contemporary (non-Tikal) terms:

Sahal: High-ranking noble

Batab: Chieftain.