Agency and Practice in the Classic Maya Collapse: Excavations of the Terminal Classic Royal Palace at Seibal, Guatemala

经典玛雅崩溃中的机构和实践：危地马拉塞巴尔末期经典皇宫的发掘

• 批准号: 0750808
• 负责人: Takeshi Inomata
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-04-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0750808&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Agency; Practice; Classic; Maya; Collapse

Drs. Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, with an international team of collaborators, will conduct a three year project at the Maya center of Seibal, Guatemala, to examine processes of political disintegration around the 9th century AD, often called the Classic Maya collapse. By extensively excavating the Terminal Classic palace remains at this site, the researchers will focus on actions and strategies of the royal elite during this social change. Harvard University extensively investigated Seibal in the 1960s, documenting its unique florescence during the 9th century while many other centers were declining. Since then, Seibal has been considered a key site in the study of the Classic Maya collapse. Subsequent developments in archeological research in the region and in epigraphic decipherment have added substantial data, making the reexamination of this important center highly desirable. A critical piece of information still missing from Seibal is the royal residential complex of the Terminal Classic. Recent investigations have shown that the East Court of Seibal most likely served as the Terminal Classic royal palace. By examining the Terminal Classic palace, the project members will examine the following questions: 1) Was the East Court newly constructed during the Terminal Classic, representing a break from the previous dynastic tradition? 2) How did the configurations of the palace, along with the patterns of interactions, change through time? 3) How were royal ideologies and symbolisms expressed through architectural decorations? 4) How is the decline of the Seibal dynasty reflected in the palace remains? Through a combination of extensive excavations, deep trenches, and tunnels, they will examine the presence of an earlier palace complex, changes in spatial configurations, types of activities reflected in artefactual deposits, stucco sculptures and other architectural decorations, and the process of abandonment. The project promises to provide new insights into how the ruling elite tried to cope with the changing social and natural environments, either by devising new forms of political interactions and new ideologies or by maintaining old traditions. The research will also shed light on how these efforts ultimately failed. The results of the project will contribute to the understanding of the social dynamics of Classic Maya political disintegration and the anthropological study of social change. The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students, as well as Guatemalan students, offering them opportunities for training and research. Moreover, the project members will continue their collaboration with local communities in the region for cultural and natural conservation, which they have been developing since the 1990s. The archaeological remains of Seibal have been under serious threat since illegal occupants began deforesting a substantial part of the protected national park in the late 1990s. The proposed project will aid and promote local awareness and initiative, which are indispensable for the successful protection of the Seibal park.

博士。 Takeshi Inomata和Daniela Triadan与国际合作者团队将在危地马拉Seibal Maya中心进行三年项目，以研究公元9世纪左右的政治瓦解过程，通常称为经典玛雅人崩溃。通过广泛的挖掘经典宫殿保留在该地点，研究人员将专注于这种社会变革期间皇家精英的行动和策略。 哈佛大学在1960年代对Seibal进行了广泛的调查，记录了其在9世纪的独特荧光，而许多其他中心正在下降。从那时起，Seibal被认为是经典玛雅崩溃的研究中的关键位置。该地区考古研究和题词解密的后续发展增加了大量数据，使对这个重要中心的重新审查非常可取。 Seibal仍然缺少的关键信息是码头经典的皇家住宅综合体。最近的调查表明，Seibal东部法院很可能是终端经典皇家宫殿。 通过检查终端经典宫殿，项目成员将研究以下问题：1）是在终端经典期间新建的东部法院，这代表了以前的王朝传统的突破吗？ 2）宫殿的配置以及互动的模式如何随着时间而变化？ 3）如何通过建筑装饰表达皇家意识形态和象征主义？ 4）在宫殿中反映出西巴尔王朝的衰落如何依然存在？通过大量发掘，深沟和隧道的结合，他们将检查较早的宫殿配合物的存在，空间配置的变化，人工矿床中反映的活动类型，灰泥雕塑和其他建筑装饰以及遗弃过程。 该项目有望通过设计新形式的政治互动和新的意识形态或维护旧传统来应对不断变化的社会和自然环境，以提供新的见解。这项研究还将阐明这些努力最终如何失败。该项目的结果将有助于理解经典玛雅政治瓦解的社会动态和对社会变革的人类学研究。 该项目将涉及研究生和本科生以及危地马拉学生，为他们提供培训和研究的机会。此外，项目成员将继续与该地区的当地社区进行文化和自然保护，这是他们自1990年代以来一直在发展的。自1990年代后期，非法居民开始在保护国家公园的大部分地区开始砍伐大部分地区以来，Seibal的考古遗体一直受到严重威胁。拟议的项目将有助于并促进当地的意识和主动性，这对于成功保护Seibal Park是必不可少的。