The Scope and Contributions of the Hieroglyphic Corpus of Belize to our Understanding of the Ancient Maya

Summary

This is an abstract from the "“The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The epigraphic corpus of Belize is often considered as being limited in scope, with few monuments and few contributions to the historical sources of the Classic Maya. Yet, discoveries in recent years have considerably changed this picture. Some of the more spectacular discoveries include: (1) Altar 26 at Caracol (dated to AD 884); (2) the jadeite plaque at Nim li Punit (recording a statement of ownership and exalted pedigree); (3) the Komkom Vase at Baking Pot (the longest text on a vase); (4) panels of the hieroglyphic stair of K’an II of Caracol, at Xunantunich (supplying crucial information regarding the dynastic crises of the Kanu’l royal house), and (5) the glyphic panel of Tzunun (that likewise mentions the Kanu’l). However, there are also more mundane discoveries that help us to understand the structure of ancient Maya society, including textual material in residential burials and pseudoglyphic-texts on building facades. Here, we present an overview of the epigraphic corpus, considering its scope, nature, genres, longevity, and context. The historical information of the texts is also considered, in light of regionalism, connections and references to other centers and polities, without which our understanding of ancient Maya history would be all the poorer.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• “The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38619.0