Lauren A Sullivan | University of Massachusetts, Boston (original) (raw)
Papers by Lauren A Sullivan
University Press of Colorado eBooks, May 15, 2023
Ancient Mesoamerica
Investigations concerning the earliest Maya have been of archaeological interest for many decades... more Investigations concerning the earliest Maya have been of archaeological interest for many decades. Northern Belize serves as a valuable region for researching and understanding early Maya developments. In particular, the ancient Maya site of Colha in northern Belize is a focal point of some early developments beginning in the Archaic period. Select resources in the region, especially in the chert-bearing zone, clearly had been of great interest and attraction to populations extending back into Paleoindian and Archaic times, as well as the Maya period for Colha and other sites near the resource zone. With the appearance of pottery-producing settled villages is the common assertion that Maya societies are in place around 1000 b.c. Recent studies have identified much earlier occupants in the region with significant cultural developments, including semi-permanent occupation and horticulture occurring in the Late Archaic at approximately 3400 b.c. It seems plausible, perhaps likely by ou...
Ancient Mesoamerica, 2021
The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound change... more The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.
… Economy, and the Ancient Maya: The …, 2003
Chapter 3 CHANGING POLITICAL ALLIANCES IN THE THREE RIVERS REGION Lauren A. Sullivan and Kerry L.... more Chapter 3 CHANGING POLITICAL ALLIANCES IN THE THREE RIVERS REGION Lauren A. Sullivan and Kerry L. Sagebiel Ceramic data from the Three ... main centers: a group on top of the Rio Bravo escarpment (El Grupo Barba)(Hageman 1999; Hageman and Lohse, this vol ...
Classification, Analysis, and Interpretation, 2013
This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the f... more This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the first humans and the first Maya in these regions and presents seven articles that examine these critical periods from varied, intersecting perspectives. The Introduction begins with a brief history of early preceramic research (primarily in northern Belize) and provides a current chronology for the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Early Preclassic periods. The Paleoindian and Archaic (ca. 11,500-900 b.c.) periods are discussed in terms of the origins of the first peoples in these regions, lithic technology, subsistence, and early ritual. Next, a summary of archaeological evidence for the transition to the first villages (ca. 1200-800 b.c.) is provided, with examinations of a horticultural lifestyle, the earliest ceramics, increased socioeconomic complexity, new ideology and ritual practices, and developing social inequality. Proto-Mayan and Mayan languages-their dating, origin, and early lexicon-are discussed in relation to the first Maya. Material culture and language are explored with regard to conceptions of Maya culture.
Ancient Mesoamerica
This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the f... more This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the first humans and the first Maya in these regions and presents seven articles that examine these critical periods from varied, intersecting perspectives. The Introduction begins with a brief history of early preceramic research (primarily in northern Belize) and provides a current chronology for the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Early Preclassic periods. The Paleoindian and Archaic (ca. 11,500–900 b.c.) periods are discussed in terms of the origins of the first peoples in these regions, lithic technology, subsistence, and early ritual. Next, a summary of archaeological evidence for the transition to the first villages (ca. 1200–800 b.c.) is provided, with examinations of a horticultural lifestyle, the earliest ceramics, increased socio-economic complexity, new ideology and ritual practices, and developing social inequality. Proto-Mayan and Mayan languages—their dating, origin, and early lexico...
Southeastern Archaeology, Jul 1, 2004
Last Rites for the Tipu Maya. KEITH P. JACOBI. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2000. xii... more Last Rites for the Tipu Maya. KEITH P. JACOBI. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2000. xii + 383 pp., illus., tables, biblio., appendices, index. $32.95 (paper), ISBN 0-8173-1025-8. Keith P. Jacobi uses dental remains, archaeology, and historic documents to examine interaction between Spanish missionaries and the native Maya at Tipu, Belize. The site, located in western Belize along the southern edge of the spread of Catholicism, is thought to have been heavily influenced by the Spanish without falling under their direct political control. The author also applies dental genetic composition to investigate the relationship between the Tipu Maya, prehistoric Maya populations at other sites, historic populations, and the modern Tzetal Maya. The teeth of 518 individuals, "the largest sample of historic Maya remains to date" (p. 86), were examined to explore the adoption of Catholic traditions by the Maya. A brief introduction summarizes Jacobi's thesis and outlines the information that is presented in the chapters that follow. The first chapter offers a history of the archaeological excavations at Tipu, comparative information from excavations of the church at Lamanai, and a review of contact period ethnohistoric documents. Efforts by the Spanish to establish mission communities in Belize and the Yucatan are also detailed. Chapter 2 describes Catholic beliefs and associated burial practices. For example, in Catholic burials the body must remain whole and not be cremated, as sometimes observed in Maya burials, because Christianity promises the resurrection of the body. The desired placement of burials within the church itself, preferably near the altar, is also discussed. The chapter concludes with a history of Christian mortuary practices in Europe, information that serves as a framework with which to evaluate Spanish/Catholic influences on Maya burials at the time of contact. Chapter 3 begins with a summary of Maya views on death, the journey to Xibalba, and burial customs. Jacobi provides lists of pan-lowland burial customs, general trends, and regional differences that have been observed, lists primarily derived from Welch's work on Classic Maya burials (An Analysis of Classic Lcnvland Maya Burials, BAR International Series, Vol. 409, 1988). This chapter would have been enhanced by linking Maya burial customs to their belief system in a more comprehensive discussion. The blending of local indigenous Maya customs as combined or mixed with Catholic traditions is also described. A review of other contact and/or postcontact burials sites, including Nuestra Senora de la Soledad in Florida and Lamanai, follows and provides a basis for comparison with the historic Tipu population. Chapter 4 begins the section of the book that details the techniques used in this analysis. This chapter is an explanation of how dental genetics and morphological, metric, and nonmetric variations of teeth can be used to evaluate the individuals buried at Tipu. The author also examines in great detail a number of similar studies from other areas and explains how he intends to apply these to the Maya. …
La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuen... more La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuentra entre las más tempranas conocidas de las Tierras Bajas. También han sido reportadas ocupación y actividades del periodo Pre-Cerámico (Iceland 1997), que proporcionan información acerca de estrategias de subsistencia pre-Mayas. Se presenta una breve revisión de los datos Pre-Cerámicos, seguida de una discusión acerca de los complejos y esferas cerámicas más tempranas del norte de Belice. Algunas preocupaciones recientemente expresadas (López Varela 1995) acerca de la tipología cerámica de Belice se tratarán como un esfuerzo preliminar de esclarecer las diferencias de los tipos cerámicos del norte de Belice y de otras regiones, como por ejemplo Petén. Los sitios de Colha, Kichpanha, K'axob, Cuello y San Esteban funcionan como comunidades tempranas significativas en la región (Figura 1). Comparaciones específicas entre el norte de Belice e influencias externas serán comentadas con base en algunos artefactos cerámicos seleccionados.
La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuen... more La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuentra entre las más tempranas conocidas de las Tierras Bajas. También han sido reportadas ocupación y actividades del periodo Pre-Cerámico (Iceland 1997), que proporcionan información acerca de estrategias de subsistencia pre-Mayas. Se presenta una breve revisión de los datos Pre-Cerámicos, seguida de una discusión acerca de los complejos y esferas cerámicas más tempranas del norte de Belice. Algunas preocupaciones recientemente expresadas (López Varela 1995) acerca de la tipología cerámica de Belice se tratarán como un esfuerzo preliminar de esclarecer las diferencias de los tipos cerámicos del norte de Belice y de otras regiones, como por ejemplo Petén. Los sitios de Colha, Kichpanha, K'axob, Cuello y San Esteban funcionan como comunidades tempranas significativas en la región (Figura 1). Comparaciones específicas entre el norte de Belice e influencias externas serán comentadas con base en algunos artefactos cerámicos seleccionados.
Page 1. UNDERSTANDING EARLY CLASSIC r El1en E. Bell Marcello A. Canute 'and Robert J. Sharer... more Page 1. UNDERSTANDING EARLY CLASSIC r El1en E. Bell Marcello A. Canute 'and Robert J. Sharer Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. is a Visiting Adjunct Instructor in Anthropology at Kenyon College. is Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Yale University. ...
... I. Title. II. Series. FI435.3.P7R5 2004 320.97281dc22 2004005735 Page 7. In memory of Oliver... more ... I. Title. II. Series. FI435.3.P7R5 2004 320.97281dc22 2004005735 Page 7. In memory of Oliver, my handsome, tuxedoed, little ek' b'alam kalomte' Page 8. Page 9. ... Munro S. Edmonson, "Some Postclassic Questions about the Classic Maya" (1979) Whoever put in order this ...
University Press of Colorado eBooks, May 15, 2023
Ancient Mesoamerica
Investigations concerning the earliest Maya have been of archaeological interest for many decades... more Investigations concerning the earliest Maya have been of archaeological interest for many decades. Northern Belize serves as a valuable region for researching and understanding early Maya developments. In particular, the ancient Maya site of Colha in northern Belize is a focal point of some early developments beginning in the Archaic period. Select resources in the region, especially in the chert-bearing zone, clearly had been of great interest and attraction to populations extending back into Paleoindian and Archaic times, as well as the Maya period for Colha and other sites near the resource zone. With the appearance of pottery-producing settled villages is the common assertion that Maya societies are in place around 1000 b.c. Recent studies have identified much earlier occupants in the region with significant cultural developments, including semi-permanent occupation and horticulture occurring in the Late Archaic at approximately 3400 b.c. It seems plausible, perhaps likely by ou...
Ancient Mesoamerica, 2021
The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound change... more The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.
… Economy, and the Ancient Maya: The …, 2003
Chapter 3 CHANGING POLITICAL ALLIANCES IN THE THREE RIVERS REGION Lauren A. Sullivan and Kerry L.... more Chapter 3 CHANGING POLITICAL ALLIANCES IN THE THREE RIVERS REGION Lauren A. Sullivan and Kerry L. Sagebiel Ceramic data from the Three ... main centers: a group on top of the Rio Bravo escarpment (El Grupo Barba)(Hageman 1999; Hageman and Lohse, this vol ...
Classification, Analysis, and Interpretation, 2013
This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the f... more This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the first humans and the first Maya in these regions and presents seven articles that examine these critical periods from varied, intersecting perspectives. The Introduction begins with a brief history of early preceramic research (primarily in northern Belize) and provides a current chronology for the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Early Preclassic periods. The Paleoindian and Archaic (ca. 11,500-900 b.c.) periods are discussed in terms of the origins of the first peoples in these regions, lithic technology, subsistence, and early ritual. Next, a summary of archaeological evidence for the transition to the first villages (ca. 1200-800 b.c.) is provided, with examinations of a horticultural lifestyle, the earliest ceramics, increased socioeconomic complexity, new ideology and ritual practices, and developing social inequality. Proto-Mayan and Mayan languages-their dating, origin, and early lexicon-are discussed in relation to the first Maya. Material culture and language are explored with regard to conceptions of Maya culture.
Ancient Mesoamerica
This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the f... more This introduction to the Special Section provides a summary of our current understanding of the first humans and the first Maya in these regions and presents seven articles that examine these critical periods from varied, intersecting perspectives. The Introduction begins with a brief history of early preceramic research (primarily in northern Belize) and provides a current chronology for the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Early Preclassic periods. The Paleoindian and Archaic (ca. 11,500–900 b.c.) periods are discussed in terms of the origins of the first peoples in these regions, lithic technology, subsistence, and early ritual. Next, a summary of archaeological evidence for the transition to the first villages (ca. 1200–800 b.c.) is provided, with examinations of a horticultural lifestyle, the earliest ceramics, increased socio-economic complexity, new ideology and ritual practices, and developing social inequality. Proto-Mayan and Mayan languages—their dating, origin, and early lexico...
Southeastern Archaeology, Jul 1, 2004
Last Rites for the Tipu Maya. KEITH P. JACOBI. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2000. xii... more Last Rites for the Tipu Maya. KEITH P. JACOBI. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2000. xii + 383 pp., illus., tables, biblio., appendices, index. $32.95 (paper), ISBN 0-8173-1025-8. Keith P. Jacobi uses dental remains, archaeology, and historic documents to examine interaction between Spanish missionaries and the native Maya at Tipu, Belize. The site, located in western Belize along the southern edge of the spread of Catholicism, is thought to have been heavily influenced by the Spanish without falling under their direct political control. The author also applies dental genetic composition to investigate the relationship between the Tipu Maya, prehistoric Maya populations at other sites, historic populations, and the modern Tzetal Maya. The teeth of 518 individuals, "the largest sample of historic Maya remains to date" (p. 86), were examined to explore the adoption of Catholic traditions by the Maya. A brief introduction summarizes Jacobi's thesis and outlines the information that is presented in the chapters that follow. The first chapter offers a history of the archaeological excavations at Tipu, comparative information from excavations of the church at Lamanai, and a review of contact period ethnohistoric documents. Efforts by the Spanish to establish mission communities in Belize and the Yucatan are also detailed. Chapter 2 describes Catholic beliefs and associated burial practices. For example, in Catholic burials the body must remain whole and not be cremated, as sometimes observed in Maya burials, because Christianity promises the resurrection of the body. The desired placement of burials within the church itself, preferably near the altar, is also discussed. The chapter concludes with a history of Christian mortuary practices in Europe, information that serves as a framework with which to evaluate Spanish/Catholic influences on Maya burials at the time of contact. Chapter 3 begins with a summary of Maya views on death, the journey to Xibalba, and burial customs. Jacobi provides lists of pan-lowland burial customs, general trends, and regional differences that have been observed, lists primarily derived from Welch's work on Classic Maya burials (An Analysis of Classic Lcnvland Maya Burials, BAR International Series, Vol. 409, 1988). This chapter would have been enhanced by linking Maya burial customs to their belief system in a more comprehensive discussion. The blending of local indigenous Maya customs as combined or mixed with Catholic traditions is also described. A review of other contact and/or postcontact burials sites, including Nuestra Senora de la Soledad in Florida and Lamanai, follows and provides a basis for comparison with the historic Tipu population. Chapter 4 begins the section of the book that details the techniques used in this analysis. This chapter is an explanation of how dental genetics and morphological, metric, and nonmetric variations of teeth can be used to evaluate the individuals buried at Tipu. The author also examines in great detail a number of similar studies from other areas and explains how he intends to apply these to the Maya. …
La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuen... more La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuentra entre las más tempranas conocidas de las Tierras Bajas. También han sido reportadas ocupación y actividades del periodo Pre-Cerámico (Iceland 1997), que proporcionan información acerca de estrategias de subsistencia pre-Mayas. Se presenta una breve revisión de los datos Pre-Cerámicos, seguida de una discusión acerca de los complejos y esferas cerámicas más tempranas del norte de Belice. Algunas preocupaciones recientemente expresadas (López Varela 1995) acerca de la tipología cerámica de Belice se tratarán como un esfuerzo preliminar de esclarecer las diferencias de los tipos cerámicos del norte de Belice y de otras regiones, como por ejemplo Petén. Los sitios de Colha, Kichpanha, K'axob, Cuello y San Esteban funcionan como comunidades tempranas significativas en la región (Figura 1). Comparaciones específicas entre el norte de Belice e influencias externas serán comentadas con base en algunos artefactos cerámicos seleccionados.
La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuen... more La cerámica Maya del Preclásico Medio (1000-600 AC aproximadamente) del norte de Belice se encuentra entre las más tempranas conocidas de las Tierras Bajas. También han sido reportadas ocupación y actividades del periodo Pre-Cerámico (Iceland 1997), que proporcionan información acerca de estrategias de subsistencia pre-Mayas. Se presenta una breve revisión de los datos Pre-Cerámicos, seguida de una discusión acerca de los complejos y esferas cerámicas más tempranas del norte de Belice. Algunas preocupaciones recientemente expresadas (López Varela 1995) acerca de la tipología cerámica de Belice se tratarán como un esfuerzo preliminar de esclarecer las diferencias de los tipos cerámicos del norte de Belice y de otras regiones, como por ejemplo Petén. Los sitios de Colha, Kichpanha, K'axob, Cuello y San Esteban funcionan como comunidades tempranas significativas en la región (Figura 1). Comparaciones específicas entre el norte de Belice e influencias externas serán comentadas con base en algunos artefactos cerámicos seleccionados.
Page 1. UNDERSTANDING EARLY CLASSIC r El1en E. Bell Marcello A. Canute 'and Robert J. Sharer... more Page 1. UNDERSTANDING EARLY CLASSIC r El1en E. Bell Marcello A. Canute 'and Robert J. Sharer Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. is a Visiting Adjunct Instructor in Anthropology at Kenyon College. is Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Yale University. ...
... I. Title. II. Series. FI435.3.P7R5 2004 320.97281dc22 2004005735 Page 7. In memory of Oliver... more ... I. Title. II. Series. FI435.3.P7R5 2004 320.97281dc22 2004005735 Page 7. In memory of Oliver, my handsome, tuxedoed, little ek' b'alam kalomte' Page 8. Page 9. ... Munro S. Edmonson, "Some Postclassic Questions about the Classic Maya" (1979) Whoever put in order this ...
