A Terminal Classic Molded-carved Ceramic Type of the Eastern Maya Lowlands (original) (raw)
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Open Journal of Archaeometry, 2013
The paper summarises the results of the technological and stylistic analyses of the moldedcarved ceramic vases from Altun Ha, and Pook's Hill, two archaeological sites located in Belize. The stylistic analysis of these vases indicates that the decorative modes and the tradition of manufacturing vases by molds date squarely to the Terminal Classic period (ca. AD 800-1000). The Terminal Classic period is one of transition, exhibiting dramatic socio-political changes in the Maya Lowlands. The technological analyses employ energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), to characterise the physical, mineralogical, and chemical properties of the molded-carved vases. Combining the results of the technological and stylistic analyses help to discriminate the production groups, reconstruct the manufacturing technology, characterise the organisation of production, and delineate distribution patterns. Our present findings reveal that the changes in the socio-political order during the Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands likely stimulated changes in the types and manner in which elite pottery was produced, as well as the mechanisms responsible for the distribution of such ceramics.
(2013) Classic Maya Ceramic Hybridity in the Sibun Valley of Belize
2013
Hybrid Maya ceramics in the Sibun valley, Belize, integrating "foreign" styles and technology, suggest marked changes during the Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 780-900)-a period characterized by increased population movements and shifting political and economic power. The decline of numerous political centers in the "Maya heartland" of Petén, Guatemala, along with sites in the upper Belize valley may have sparked small population movements eastward into the Sibun valley and other parts of Belize. Imitation volcanic ash wares-emulative of technological styles used in the upper Belize valley and the Petén region-are found in small quantities at Sibun valley sites. These locally produced imitation ash wares could only be detected through compositional and chemical studies and their presence suggests contact with nonlocal potters in the Sibun valley. During this time, as many centers in the southern Maya Lowlands declined, political and economic growth was occurring across northern Yucatán at sites, such as Chichén Itzá, and within the Chontalpa region of the Gulf Lowlands. Synthesis of new evidence from the Sibun valley and elsewhere suggests that settlements in this region may have been involved in an extensive circum-peninsular trade network-possibly administered by Chontal-Itzá merchants-that extended between the Gulf Lowlands and the Yucatán peninsula and ran along the eastern Caribbean coastline as far south as the Bay of Honduras during the Terminal Classical period. In this way, "non-Classic" traits, like circular shrine architecture, and locally produced ceramics incorporating northern Yucatecan attributes were introduced in the Sibun River valley and elsewhere in the southern Maya Lowlands. Through stylistic and technological analyses of ceramic material and architecture, this study addresses the complexities of the "foreign" interaction and integration that occurred in the Sibun valley during this time. The results of this study highlight the complexity of interpreting hybrid material culture and the dynamic nature of the processes and mechanisms through which groups construct, maintain, and negotiate identity.
Technological analyses by visual examination, thin-section petrography, INAA and SEM-EDS of an assemblage of elite serving vessels from the site of Altun Ha, Belize, provide important data on technology and organization of production. According to the manner in which they were decorated, these vessels are referred to in the literature as 'molded-carved', but prior research has also shown that they share a distinctive iconographic program. Evidence so far indicates that they constitute a ceramic tradition that is reflective of social and political changes that characterized the Terminal Classic period in the Maya lowlands. The results of the technological analyses described here combined with prior research on contexts, iconography and glyphic texts suggest that alterations in political and social systems during the Terminal Classic stimulated changes not only in the type of elite pottery being produced but also in the manufacturing technology and concomitantly in the organization of production.
Technological analyses by visual examination, thin-section petrography, INAA and SEM-EDS of an assemblage of elite serving vessels from the site of Altun Ha, Belize, provide important data on technology and organization of production. According to the manner in which they were decorated, these vessels are referred to in the literature as 'molded-carved', but prior research has also shown that they share a distinctive iconographic program. Evidence so far indicates that they constitute a ceramic tradition that is reflective of social and political changes that characterized the Terminal Classic period in the Maya lowlands. The results of the technological analyses described here combined with prior research on contexts, iconography and glyphic texts suggest that alterations in political and social systems during the Terminal Classic stimulated changes not only in the type of elite pottery being produced but also in the manufacturing technology and concomitantly in the organization of production.
Journal Of Anthropological Archaeology, 2022
Fine Orange ceramics, speciality serving wares of the Terminal Classic (ca. A.D. 810-950/1000) in the Maya area, have long been implicated in the identification of changing political and social relationships. Some previously subordinate political centers thrived during this time as many of the dominant Classic polities were embroiled in crises and reductions in their populations. This paper examines molded-carved Fine Orange and "imitation" Fine Orange ceramics from a trio of closely-located sites that prospered during the Terminal Classic period: Ucanal, La Blanca, and Calzada Mopan in the middle Mopan Valley in Petén, Guatemala. Chemical paste analyses using a portable X-ray fluorescence instrument, microphotography, and traditional Ware-Type-Variety analyses reveal that potters in this region did not blindly imitate Fine Orange ceramics, but picked and chose techniques and designs that drew from multiple communities of practice. Furthermore, these sites had access to decorative serving vessels that were produced in multiple regions throughout the Southern Maya Lowlands, placing them at an important nexus of political, economic, and social interaction. We argue that molded-carved and other decorated ceramics served as boundary objects, which articulated different pottery producing communities and forged marriage and political ties between different polities in a new decentralized political landscape.
This paper examines the production and exchange of a particular type of ceramic vase designated ‘Ahk'utu' moulded-carved’, by using thin-section petrography, INAA, and SEM-EDS. These vases were produced and circulated in the eastern Maya lowlands during a transitional period known as ‘Terminal Classic’, ca. A.D. 800–950. Significant changes, generally referred to as the Classic Maya Collapse, occurred in the socio-political order in the Maya lowlands at this time, although the pace and events leading to such changes remain poorly understood. By studying a selection of 62 Ahk'utu' moulded-carved vases from various sites across Belize, we seek to offer a new perspective on the nature of this important transitional period. Our findings reveal that two main ceramic traditions – one employing calcite and the other volcanic ash temper – are represented by the vases. These traditions guided the selection of raw materials, surface finish, and firing methods. Vases of the calcite tradition were mostly used at or around the sites where they were produced, whereas those of the volcanic ash tradition appear to have been circulated over a wider region. The co-existence of multiple production groups and distribution spheres of the Ahk'utu' vases, along with their style and decoration, is interpreted as indicating a proliferation of an ascending social segment and greater flexibility and fluidity in how the social hierarchy and political structure were maintained in the eastern Maya lowlands from the 9th century and onwards.