Elite (Other Keyword)
1-7 (7 Records)
Interactions between commoners and elites is a poorly addressed area of study in the Maya region. Various excavations of ancient Maya palace structures and royal tombs, epigraphic studies of Maya hieroglyphs, and iconographic analyses of ancient Maya art have revealed a copious amount of information about ancient Maya elite. Similarly, excavations of ancient Maya commoner households and burials have revealed a great deal of information about ancient Maya commoners. However, there are...
The elite of Monte Albán as biosocial group. Methodological considerations. (2015)
In this paper we present a brief outline of what has been considered the elite into the Mesoamerican world. The pros and cons of mayor archaeological indicators used to identify and/or define the elite. Our research goal is to approach the elite as a biological group, not only the ruler itself. The evaluation of the ruling elite from different aspects such as demography, gender relations, funerary practices, health conditions, diet and disease, hierarchy and inequality among its members and...
Identity and the Maya Mid-level Elite as a Proxy for Political Change (2016)
The nuances of identity theory can be a helpful in determining social stratification within a site and determining intrasite political processes. Archaeology is specially suited for identity studies due to the nature of material culture as an integral part in social practices. While individual identities are difficult to parse out under the best circumstances, analysis of artifact distribution across a site can yield insight into group identities and the practices that follow them. Designation...
No Big Dudes Here: Bioarchaeology of Social Control at Aztec Ruins ( (2015)
The discussion of elite leaders in the Greater Southwest has primarily focused on Chaco Canyon. This project extends that discussion to the later site to the north called Aztec Ruins. Because of its size and some architectural similarities to sites in Chaco Canyon, it has also been suggested to be a regional center with considerable political-economic power. Morris recovered a number of human skeletal remains from Aztec Ruins between 1916 and 1922. One burial in particular is of interest...
Revealing La Milpa: Integrating Residential Data from the Core and Periphery (2017)
The Programme for Belize Archaeological Project represents a regional research program aimed at elucidating the nature of Maya political, social, and economic integration within the northeastern Peten. Toward this end, extensive research is being undertaken at the primary center of La Milpa. Research conducted by the authors has been motivated by numerous objectives. Of specific interest is understanding the role of La Milpa within the changing political landscape of the region. In addition,...
Rising from the Dark Marshes: Investigations of an Elite Homestead on Mulberry Island, Virginia (2017)
Mulberry Island, a peninsula on Virginia’s James River and home to Joint Base Langley-Eustis’ Fort Eustis, is a trove of cultural resources. Among its more than 230 archaeological sites are dozens of indentured, enslaved, and tenant laborers’ ephemeral homesteads. Relatively few sites associated with its economically advantaged minority have been discovered on Mulberry Island, leaving a gap in the archaeological record compounded by the loss of antebellum public records during the Civil War....
Unit-Stamped Red Jars in the Southern Lowlands: New Insights into Ceramic Production and Exchange (2015)
Monochrome red jars and bowls featuring unique unit-stamped designs have been excavated from Late Classic contexts throughout the southern Petén and the areas surrounding the Maya Mountains. Adorning apparently utilitarian vessels, these unit-stamps show both a consistency in size and application across their spatial range, as well as a great diversity in the preferred motifs depicted. Combining a new ceramic chronology developed at Lubaantun and data from across southern Belize and the southern...