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The Ancient Maya
ANTHROPOLOGY 326
THE ANCIENT MAYA Dr. Edward B. Sisson
Office: Bondurant 23W
SPRING 1996 Hours: MW 1:00 - 2:15
Bondurant 25W TT 1:00 - 2:15
Research on the archaeological Maya has exploded in the last three decades. Once a comprehensive introduction to the Maya would have been possible in a single semester course. This is no longer the case. Rather than attempt to do the impossible, this course will briefly focus on four aspects of current Maya scholarship.
The first quarter of the course will focus on Maya prehistory touching on such processual topics as the rise of complex society in the Maya Lowlands, the social and political structure of Classic Maya society, and the collapse of Classic Maya society. The Maya by Michael Coe will be the text for this part of the course.
The second quarter of the course will introduce the student to the Maya writing system. The Maya were the only New World civilization to developed a system of writing. By the beginning of the Classic period (ca A.D. 300), the Maya of the Southern Maya Lowlands had developed a mixed system (ideographic and syllabic) of writing. In the last thirty years, the rules of this system have been discovered and many texts have been read. Understanding Maya Inscriptions by John Harris nad Stephen Stearns will be the text for this part of the course.
The third quarter of the course will focus on Maya iconography as represented on stone, stucco and ceramic sculpture; on painted pottery and murals; and in architecture and architectural arrangements. Selections from The Blood of Kings by Linda Schele and Mary Miller will be the text for this part of the course.
Finally, in order to discuss at least one Maya site in greater detail, the final quarter of the course will focus on the archaeology of the site of Copan. Scribes, Warriors and Kings. The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya by William Fash and a selection from The Forest of Kings by Linda Schele and David Friedel will be the text for this part of the course.
There will be a quiz on each of the sections of the course. Each quiz will have a value of 22.5 points for a total of 90 points. In addition, 10 points will depend on class attendance and participation. There will be a total of 100 points (90 + 10). An "A" will be from 90 to 100 points; a "B" will be from 80 to 89 points; a "C" will be from 70 to 79 points; a "D" will be from 60 to 69 points; and an "F" will anything less than 60 points.
Quiz I (Overview of Maya Prehistory) 20% Quiz II (Maya Calendar and Writing System) 20% Quiz III (Maya Iconography) 20% Quiz IV (Copan; a Classic Maya Site) 20% Attendance and Participation 10%
Anyone taking the course for graduate credit will be expected to complete a term paper on a topic selected in consultation with the instructor. This paper will have a value of 50 points. For graduate students there will be a total of 150 points. An "A" will be from 135 to 150 points; a "B" will be from 120 to 134 points; a "C" will be from 105 to 134 points; a "D" will be from 90 to 104 points; and an "F" will anything less than 90 points.
REQUIRED:
The Maya by Michael D. Coe. 4th ed., 1987, Thames and Hudson.
Understanding Maya Inscriptions. A Hieroglyph Handbook by John F. Harris and Stephen K. Stearns. 1992, The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Scribes, Warriors and Kings. The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya by William Fash. 1991, Thames and Hudson.
The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art by Linda Schele and M.E. Miller. 1986, George Braziller, Inc
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