The Justin Kerr Maya Vase Database and Its Contribution to the Study of Maya Iconography

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Rollout Keepers: Papers on Maya Ceramic Texts, Scenes, and Styles in Honor of Justin and Barbara Kerr" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

It is hard to overstate the rich intellectual benefits that iconographers and epigraphers have been given through the lens of Justin Kerr’s remarkable Maya Vase Database. It not only brought to light a world of gods, rulers, courts, and vivid bestiary but also revealed complex narratives that are now only beginning to be understood. Part of the contribution, aside from the game-changing roll-out photography, is accessibility. The publication of The Maya Vase Books provided a key resource until the era of the internet ushered in a platform to move online. It is now easier than ever to access the wonderful world of Maya art. Online archives are becoming more popular as is the need for clear, concise, and accurate searchable systems. Visual literacies are key. The preservation, expansion, and accessibility of this archive are immensely important for current and future researchers. The current work being undertaken at Dumbarton Oaks brings a renewed sense of order with its searchable lexicon, thus providing inspiration for similar endeavors that in the spirit of Justin Kerr’s generosity, are creating a more global and accessible dissemination of Maya art and iconography.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Rollout Keepers: Papers on Maya Ceramic Texts, Scenes, and Styles in Honor of Justin and Barbara Kerr   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37946.0