Maya Calendar Origins

Monuments, Mythistory, and the Materialization of Time

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology
Cover of the book Maya Calendar Origins by Prudence M. Rice, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Prudence M. Rice ISBN: 9780292774490
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: February 17, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Prudence M. Rice
ISBN: 9780292774490
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: February 17, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
In Maya Political Science: Time, Astronomy, and the Cosmos, Prudence M. Rice proposed a new model of Maya political organization in which geopolitical seats of power rotated according to a 256-year calendar cycle known as the May. This fundamental connection between timekeeping and Maya political organization sparked Rice's interest in the origins of the two major calendars used by the ancient lowland Maya, one 260 days long, and the other having 365 days. In Maya Calendar Origins, she presents a provocative new thesis about the origins and development of the calendrical system.Integrating data from anthropology, archaeology, art history, astronomy, ethnohistory, myth, and linguistics, Rice argues that the Maya calendars developed about a millennium earlier than commonly thought, around 1200 BC, as an outgrowth of observations of the natural phenomena that scheduled the movements of late Archaic hunter-gatherer-collectors throughout what became Mesoamerica. She asserts that an understanding of the cycles of weather and celestial movements became the basis of power for early rulers, who could thereby claim "control" over supernatural cosmic forces. Rice shows how time became materialized—transformed into status objects such as monuments that encoded calendrical or temporal concerns—as well as politicized, becoming the foundation for societal order, political legitimization, and wealth. Rice's research also sheds new light on the origins of the Popol Vuh, which, Rice believes, encodes the history of the development of the Mesoamerican calendars. She also explores the connections between the Maya and early Olmec and Izapan cultures in the Isthmian region, who shared with the Maya the cosmovision and ideology incorporated into the calendrical systems.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
In Maya Political Science: Time, Astronomy, and the Cosmos, Prudence M. Rice proposed a new model of Maya political organization in which geopolitical seats of power rotated according to a 256-year calendar cycle known as the May. This fundamental connection between timekeeping and Maya political organization sparked Rice's interest in the origins of the two major calendars used by the ancient lowland Maya, one 260 days long, and the other having 365 days. In Maya Calendar Origins, she presents a provocative new thesis about the origins and development of the calendrical system.Integrating data from anthropology, archaeology, art history, astronomy, ethnohistory, myth, and linguistics, Rice argues that the Maya calendars developed about a millennium earlier than commonly thought, around 1200 BC, as an outgrowth of observations of the natural phenomena that scheduled the movements of late Archaic hunter-gatherer-collectors throughout what became Mesoamerica. She asserts that an understanding of the cycles of weather and celestial movements became the basis of power for early rulers, who could thereby claim "control" over supernatural cosmic forces. Rice shows how time became materialized—transformed into status objects such as monuments that encoded calendrical or temporal concerns—as well as politicized, becoming the foundation for societal order, political legitimization, and wealth. Rice's research also sheds new light on the origins of the Popol Vuh, which, Rice believes, encodes the history of the development of the Mesoamerican calendars. She also explores the connections between the Maya and early Olmec and Izapan cultures in the Isthmian region, who shared with the Maya the cosmovision and ideology incorporated into the calendrical systems.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Ancient Maya Commoners by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Aspects of the Renaissance by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Mary Austin Holley by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book The Contemporáneos Group by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Democratizing Texas Politics by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Enchanted Rock by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Aspects of English Sentence Stress by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Mario Vargas Llosa by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Escaping the Fire by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Border Radio by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book Geometry in Architecture by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book The Great Texas Stamp Collection by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book The Art of Faulkner's Novels by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book The Siren and the Seashell by Prudence M. Rice
Cover of the book School Choice Tradeoffs by Prudence M. Rice
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy