Marc N. Levine | University of Oklahoma (original) (raw)

Books by Marc N. Levine

Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica

Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to... more Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to Mesoamerican obsidian, Obsidian Reflections is an examination of obsidian's sociocultural dimensions—particularly in regard to Mesoamerican world view, religion, and belief systems.

Exploring the materiality of this volcanic glass rather than only its functionality, this book considers the interplay among people, obsidian, and meaning and how these relationships shaped patterns of procurement, exchange, and use. An international group of scholars hailing from Belize, France, Japan, Mexico, and the United States provides a variety of case studies from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The authors draw on archaeological, iconographic, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric data to examine obsidian as a touchstone for cultural meaning, including references to sacrificial precepts, powerful deities, landscape, warfare, social relations, and fertility.

Obsidian Reflections underscores the necessity of understanding obsidian from within its cultural context—the perspective of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. It will be of great interest to Mesoamericanists as well as students and scholars of lithic studies and material culture.

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Papers by Marc N. Levine

Research paper thumbnail of Gastronomía mixteca: ritual e identidad en Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa).

Arqueología Mexicana, 2022

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Research paper thumbnail of Monte Albán's Hidden Past: Buried Buildings and Sociopolitical Transformation

Latin American Antiquity, 2021

In this article, we present the most significant results of the Monte Albán Geophysical Archaeolo... more In this article, we present the most significant results of the Monte Albán Geophysical Archaeology Project. Using groundpenetrating radar, gradiometry, and electrical resistance, we carried out a systematic survey of the site's Main Plaza to identify buried prehispanic features that might shed light on Monte Albán's early history. The most important discoveries include three buried structures dating between the Danibaan (500-300 BC) and Nisa phases (100 BC-AD 100). We argue that the largest structure, measuring 18 × 18 m, was probably a temple platform and that all three of the structures were razed and buried by the end of the Nisa phase at the latest. Furthermore, we contend that these events were part of a major renovation and expansion of the site's Main Plaza that occurred during a pivotal period of dramatic sociopolitical transformation in the Zapotec capital.

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Research paper thumbnail of Why Digital Archaeology? A Case Study from Monte Albán, Oaxaca

The SAA Archaeological Record , 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of La orfebrería mixteca: nueva evidencia de Tututepec sobre la producción metalúrgica en el Postclásico Tardío

Patrimonio cultural de Oaxaca: investigaciones recientes, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Ceramic Molds for Mixtec Gold: a New Lost-Wax Casting Technique from Prehispanic Mexico

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2019

(The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816) The basic princ... more (The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816)
The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet researchers across the globe still struggle to explain technological variability in this process, which has important ramifications for understanding the origin, development, and spread of lost-wax casting. This paper reports the discovery of an assemblage of ceramic molds that were utilized to make internal clay cores for lost-wax casting at Tututepec, a Late Postclassic (AD 1100-1522) capital located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The molds enabled artisans to make highly standardized hollow metal artifacts, such as beads and ornaments, that served as adornments for high status individuals. Lost-wax casting, including internal core technology, initially spread to Mesoamerica from the Isthmo-Colombian Area, yet no molds similar to those found in Oaxaca have been reported from these Bdonor^ regions. Interestingly, core technology was also an important component of lost-wax casting in many areas of the Old World. Thus, the analysis presented here will contribute to comparative studies of lost-wax casting worldwide. Furthermore, this study introduces evidence for metal production from household excavations to examine the social context of metalworking in Oaxaca. The results challenge the once prevalent assumption that Oaxacan metallurgy was the exclusive domain of rulers, and instead strongly suggests that elites and commoners collaborated in this enterprise. Finally, the evidence presented here also confirms Tututepec's role as an important goldworking center in Postclassic Mesoamerica.

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Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth in Mesoamerica: Obsidian Consumption in the Coastal Lowlands

2016 Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 41:263-282

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Research paper thumbnail of Tututepec: A Mixtec Imperial Capital in Southern Oaxaca

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Research paper thumbnail of Polychrome Pottery Economics and Ritual Life in Postclassic Oaxaca, Mexico.

Tututepec fue una capital regional que dominó gran parte del sur de Oaxaca, México, en el Posclás... more Tututepec fue una capital regional que dominó gran parte del sur de Oaxaca, México, en el Posclásico tardío (1100–1522 d.C.). Este artículo sintetiza los resultados de los análisis de la composición (análisis por activación neutrónica y petrografía), estilo e iconografía de la cerámica de las excavaciones de conjuntos habitacionales de la gente común en Tututepec para abordar cuestiones sobre la producción y la distribución de cerámica, y también para aclarar los aspectos de la economía
política y ritual doméstica en la capital. El estudio se centra más intensamente en la cerámica polícroma Mixteca-Puebla, vasijas para servir con motivos decorativos complejos. Nuestros análisis de la composición, interpretados a la luz de la geología de la región, indican que la gente común obtuvo entre seis y diez variedades distintas de cerámica, manufacturadas
con materias primas disponibles localmente— dentro o alrededor de Tututepec. Planteamos que en los conjuntos habitacionales probablemente se adquirió la cerámica a través de un mercado central localizado en la capital. Además, nuestro estudio demuestra que la gente común tenía acceso a la cerámica polícroma fabricada por varios alfareros, desafiando la idea generalizada de que estas vasijas fueron restringidas a las élites, quienes controlaban su producción. Proponemos que las vasijas
polícromas de servir jugaron un papel destacado en los rituales domésticos ordinarios. Aún más, los comuneros parecen haber
seleccionado conscientemente las vasijas pintadas con imágenes asociadas con la guerra y el sacrificio, lo que sugiere que apoyaron activamente la ideología imperial oficial de Tututepec.

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Research paper thumbnail of Reflections on Obsidian Studies in Mesoamerica: Past, Present, and Future.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica

Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to... more Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to Mesoamerican obsidian, Obsidian Reflections is an examination of obsidian's sociocultural dimensions—particularly in regard to Mesoamerican world view, religion, and belief systems.

Exploring the materiality of this volcanic glass rather than only its functionality, this book considers the interplay among people, obsidian, and meaning and how these relationships shaped patterns of procurement, exchange, and use. An international group of scholars hailing from Belize, France, Japan, Mexico, and the United States provides a variety of case studies from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The authors draw on archaeological, iconographic, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric data to examine obsidian as a touchstone for cultural meaning, including references to sacrificial precepts, powerful deities, landscape, warfare, social relations, and fertility.

Obsidian Reflections underscores the necessity of understanding obsidian from within its cultural context—the perspective of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. It will be of great interest to Mesoamericanists as well as students and scholars of lithic studies and material culture.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Political Transformations and the Everyday in Postclassic Oaxaca

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Research paper thumbnail of Museum Salvage: A Case Study of Mesoamerican Artifacts in Museum Collections and on the Antiquities Market

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Research paper thumbnail of Las Evidencias Arqueológicas de la Antigua Capital de Tututepec

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Research paper thumbnail of Place-Making and Power in the Terminal Formative: Excavations on Río Viejo’s Acropolis

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Research paper thumbnail of Examining Ceramic Evidence for the Zapotec Imperialism Hypothesis in the Lower Río Verde Region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

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Research paper thumbnail of Negotiating Political Economy at Late Postclassic Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa), Oaxaca, Mexico

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Research paper thumbnail of Shifting Patterns of Obsidian Exchange in Postclassic Oaxaca, Mexico

"RESUMEN Este artículo presenta un análisis diacrónico de los cambios en los patrones de obtenci... more "RESUMEN
Este artículo presenta un análisis diacrónico de los cambios en los patrones de obtención de obsidiana durante el periodo posclásico en el área inferior del río Verde de Oaxaca. El estudio se basa en el análisis de artefactos de obsidiana hechos por inspección visual y del proceso de florescencia de rayos-x (XRF). Dichos artefactos fueron analizados y elegidos de los contextos arqueológicos de las excavaciones pertenecientes a los conjuntos habitacionales de Río Viejo, del posclásico temprano (800–1100 d.C.) y de Tututepec, en el posclásico tardío (1100–1522 d.C.). Reportamos la presencia de obsidiana importada por lo menos de seis fuentes del área inferior del río Verde durante el posclásico temprano, mientras que durante los siglos catorce y quince del posclásico tardío, la obsidiana predominante proviene del Pico de Orizaba y de Pachuca. Se interpreta que los cambios en los patrones de obtención de obsidiana en la parte inferior del río Verde a través del tiempo fueron influenciados por cambios sociopolíticos a nivel local, regional y macroregional. Este estudio representa el análisis más detallado, del intercambio de obsidiana, durante el periodo posclásico, que se ha reportado acerca del área de Oaxaca."

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Research paper thumbnail of The Archaeology and Codical History of Tututepec

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Research paper thumbnail of The Tututepec Archaeological Project (TAP): Residential Excavations at Yucu Dzaa, a Late Postclassic Mixtec Capital on the Coast of Oaxaca, México

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica

Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to... more Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to Mesoamerican obsidian, Obsidian Reflections is an examination of obsidian's sociocultural dimensions—particularly in regard to Mesoamerican world view, religion, and belief systems.

Exploring the materiality of this volcanic glass rather than only its functionality, this book considers the interplay among people, obsidian, and meaning and how these relationships shaped patterns of procurement, exchange, and use. An international group of scholars hailing from Belize, France, Japan, Mexico, and the United States provides a variety of case studies from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The authors draw on archaeological, iconographic, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric data to examine obsidian as a touchstone for cultural meaning, including references to sacrificial precepts, powerful deities, landscape, warfare, social relations, and fertility.

Obsidian Reflections underscores the necessity of understanding obsidian from within its cultural context—the perspective of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. It will be of great interest to Mesoamericanists as well as students and scholars of lithic studies and material culture.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Gastronomía mixteca: ritual e identidad en Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa).

Arqueología Mexicana, 2022

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Monte Albán's Hidden Past: Buried Buildings and Sociopolitical Transformation

Latin American Antiquity, 2021

In this article, we present the most significant results of the Monte Albán Geophysical Archaeolo... more In this article, we present the most significant results of the Monte Albán Geophysical Archaeology Project. Using groundpenetrating radar, gradiometry, and electrical resistance, we carried out a systematic survey of the site's Main Plaza to identify buried prehispanic features that might shed light on Monte Albán's early history. The most important discoveries include three buried structures dating between the Danibaan (500-300 BC) and Nisa phases (100 BC-AD 100). We argue that the largest structure, measuring 18 × 18 m, was probably a temple platform and that all three of the structures were razed and buried by the end of the Nisa phase at the latest. Furthermore, we contend that these events were part of a major renovation and expansion of the site's Main Plaza that occurred during a pivotal period of dramatic sociopolitical transformation in the Zapotec capital.

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Research paper thumbnail of Why Digital Archaeology? A Case Study from Monte Albán, Oaxaca

The SAA Archaeological Record , 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of La orfebrería mixteca: nueva evidencia de Tututepec sobre la producción metalúrgica en el Postclásico Tardío

Patrimonio cultural de Oaxaca: investigaciones recientes, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Ceramic Molds for Mixtec Gold: a New Lost-Wax Casting Technique from Prehispanic Mexico

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2019

(The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816) The basic princ... more (The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816)
The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet researchers across the globe still struggle to explain technological variability in this process, which has important ramifications for understanding the origin, development, and spread of lost-wax casting. This paper reports the discovery of an assemblage of ceramic molds that were utilized to make internal clay cores for lost-wax casting at Tututepec, a Late Postclassic (AD 1100-1522) capital located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The molds enabled artisans to make highly standardized hollow metal artifacts, such as beads and ornaments, that served as adornments for high status individuals. Lost-wax casting, including internal core technology, initially spread to Mesoamerica from the Isthmo-Colombian Area, yet no molds similar to those found in Oaxaca have been reported from these Bdonor^ regions. Interestingly, core technology was also an important component of lost-wax casting in many areas of the Old World. Thus, the analysis presented here will contribute to comparative studies of lost-wax casting worldwide. Furthermore, this study introduces evidence for metal production from household excavations to examine the social context of metalworking in Oaxaca. The results challenge the once prevalent assumption that Oaxacan metallurgy was the exclusive domain of rulers, and instead strongly suggests that elites and commoners collaborated in this enterprise. Finally, the evidence presented here also confirms Tututepec's role as an important goldworking center in Postclassic Mesoamerica.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Growth in Mesoamerica: Obsidian Consumption in the Coastal Lowlands

2016 Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 41:263-282

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Tututepec: A Mixtec Imperial Capital in Southern Oaxaca

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Polychrome Pottery Economics and Ritual Life in Postclassic Oaxaca, Mexico.

Tututepec fue una capital regional que dominó gran parte del sur de Oaxaca, México, en el Posclás... more Tututepec fue una capital regional que dominó gran parte del sur de Oaxaca, México, en el Posclásico tardío (1100–1522 d.C.). Este artículo sintetiza los resultados de los análisis de la composición (análisis por activación neutrónica y petrografía), estilo e iconografía de la cerámica de las excavaciones de conjuntos habitacionales de la gente común en Tututepec para abordar cuestiones sobre la producción y la distribución de cerámica, y también para aclarar los aspectos de la economía
política y ritual doméstica en la capital. El estudio se centra más intensamente en la cerámica polícroma Mixteca-Puebla, vasijas para servir con motivos decorativos complejos. Nuestros análisis de la composición, interpretados a la luz de la geología de la región, indican que la gente común obtuvo entre seis y diez variedades distintas de cerámica, manufacturadas
con materias primas disponibles localmente— dentro o alrededor de Tututepec. Planteamos que en los conjuntos habitacionales probablemente se adquirió la cerámica a través de un mercado central localizado en la capital. Además, nuestro estudio demuestra que la gente común tenía acceso a la cerámica polícroma fabricada por varios alfareros, desafiando la idea generalizada de que estas vasijas fueron restringidas a las élites, quienes controlaban su producción. Proponemos que las vasijas
polícromas de servir jugaron un papel destacado en los rituales domésticos ordinarios. Aún más, los comuneros parecen haber
seleccionado conscientemente las vasijas pintadas con imágenes asociadas con la guerra y el sacrificio, lo que sugiere que apoyaron activamente la ideología imperial oficial de Tututepec.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Reflections on Obsidian Studies in Mesoamerica: Past, Present, and Future.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica

Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to... more Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to Mesoamerican obsidian, Obsidian Reflections is an examination of obsidian's sociocultural dimensions—particularly in regard to Mesoamerican world view, religion, and belief systems.

Exploring the materiality of this volcanic glass rather than only its functionality, this book considers the interplay among people, obsidian, and meaning and how these relationships shaped patterns of procurement, exchange, and use. An international group of scholars hailing from Belize, France, Japan, Mexico, and the United States provides a variety of case studies from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The authors draw on archaeological, iconographic, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric data to examine obsidian as a touchstone for cultural meaning, including references to sacrificial precepts, powerful deities, landscape, warfare, social relations, and fertility.

Obsidian Reflections underscores the necessity of understanding obsidian from within its cultural context—the perspective of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. It will be of great interest to Mesoamericanists as well as students and scholars of lithic studies and material culture.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Political Transformations and the Everyday in Postclassic Oaxaca

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Museum Salvage: A Case Study of Mesoamerican Artifacts in Museum Collections and on the Antiquities Market

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Las Evidencias Arqueológicas de la Antigua Capital de Tututepec

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Place-Making and Power in the Terminal Formative: Excavations on Río Viejo’s Acropolis

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Examining Ceramic Evidence for the Zapotec Imperialism Hypothesis in the Lower Río Verde Region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Negotiating Political Economy at Late Postclassic Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa), Oaxaca, Mexico

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Shifting Patterns of Obsidian Exchange in Postclassic Oaxaca, Mexico

"RESUMEN Este artículo presenta un análisis diacrónico de los cambios en los patrones de obtenci... more "RESUMEN
Este artículo presenta un análisis diacrónico de los cambios en los patrones de obtención de obsidiana durante el periodo posclásico en el área inferior del río Verde de Oaxaca. El estudio se basa en el análisis de artefactos de obsidiana hechos por inspección visual y del proceso de florescencia de rayos-x (XRF). Dichos artefactos fueron analizados y elegidos de los contextos arqueológicos de las excavaciones pertenecientes a los conjuntos habitacionales de Río Viejo, del posclásico temprano (800–1100 d.C.) y de Tututepec, en el posclásico tardío (1100–1522 d.C.). Reportamos la presencia de obsidiana importada por lo menos de seis fuentes del área inferior del río Verde durante el posclásico temprano, mientras que durante los siglos catorce y quince del posclásico tardío, la obsidiana predominante proviene del Pico de Orizaba y de Pachuca. Se interpreta que los cambios en los patrones de obtención de obsidiana en la parte inferior del río Verde a través del tiempo fueron influenciados por cambios sociopolíticos a nivel local, regional y macroregional. Este estudio representa el análisis más detallado, del intercambio de obsidiana, durante el periodo posclásico, que se ha reportado acerca del área de Oaxaca."

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Archaeology and Codical History of Tututepec

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Tututepec Archaeological Project (TAP): Residential Excavations at Yucu Dzaa, a Late Postclassic Mixtec Capital on the Coast of Oaxaca, México

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa): Un Imperio del Posclásico en la Mixteca de la Costa

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