Radiocarbon Dates and the Maya Correlation Problem

1956 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 416-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linton Satterthwaite
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Final Choice ◽  
Correlation Problem ◽  
Press Report ◽  
New Evidence

This is a plea for caution in using recent and important radiocarbon results as controls in correlating the Classic Maya Long Count with our own chronology. A final choice among alternative day-for-day hypotheses must condition one's view of the meaning of the calendar and of astronomy in Mesoamerican cultures generally. More is at stake than the firm dating of archaeological periods, important as that is, and in our desire for a decision there is danger of oversimplifying the problem. Already there has been a press report that the Spinden 12.9.0.0.0 correlation has been established, though equal support in the new evidence can be claimed for an alternative 12.9.0.0.0 hypothesis of Makemson. Nonspecialists wishing to form opinions as to specific correlations must still study the evidence as a whole. Three excellent summaries, well-spaced in time, have been published by Thompson (1935, 1950) and Andrews (1940).

scholarly journals Lowland Maya radiocarbon dates and the classic Maya collapse

Nature ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 281 (5730) ◽  
pp. 407-407
Author(s):  
I. STERNS ◽  
C. LORIA ◽  
R. GARBER
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
Lowland Maya

scholarly journals New Evidence from the East Polynesian Gateway: Substantive and Methodological Results from Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 1163-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda S Allen ◽  
Rod Wallace
Keyword(s):  
New Age ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Cook Islands ◽  
Island Colonization ◽  
Settlement Period ◽  
Biological Evidence ◽  
New Evidence

East Polynesia was the geographic terminus of prehistoric human expansion across the globe and the southern Cook Islands, the first archipelago west of Samoa, a gateway to this region. Fourteen new radiocarbon dates from one of the oldest human settlements in this archipelago, the Ureia site (AIT-10) on Aitutaki Island, now indicate occupation from cal AD 1225–1430 (1σ), nearly 300 yr later than previously suggested. Although now among the most securely dated central East Polynesian sites, the new age estimate for Ureia places it outside the settlement period of either the long or short chronology models. The new dates have, however, led to a comfortable fit with the Ureia biological evidence, which suggests not a virgin landscape, but a highly a modified fauna and flora. The results also provide the first systematic demonstration of inbuilt age in tropical Pacific trees, a finding that may explain widely divergent 14C results from several early East Polynesian sites and has implications for the dating of both island colonization and subsequent intra-island dispersals.

scholarly journals The Interpretation of Mesolithic Structures in Britain: New Evidence from Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull, & Alternative Approaches to Chronological Analysis for Inferring Occupation Tempos & Settlement Patterns

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 77-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Mithen ◽  
Karen Wicks ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
New Evidence

The number of Mesolithic structures known in Britain has significantly increased since 2000, providing new opportunities for economic and social interpretations of this period. We describe a further structure, represented by features from the Mesolithic site of Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull. We compare the inferred Criet Dubh structure to other Mesolithic structures from Britain, notably those described as ‘pit-houses’. We then consider the implications of the radiocarbon dates from such structures for the tempo of occupation and past settlement patterns. While the use of Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates has encouraged interpretations of prolonged occupation and sedentism, we propose alternative interpretations with patterns of intermittent occupation for Criet Dubh and the pit-houses, involving their re-use after extended periods of abandonment within a sparsely populated landscape. The ability to debate such interpretations reflects the transformation in Mesolithic research made possible by the discovery of such structures, the use of multiple radiocarbon determinations, the application of Bayesian analysis, and the exploration of associations between cultural and environmental change. These developments have made the Mesolithic a particularly innovative period of study.

The Vanderbilt Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project 1989–1994: Overview, History, and Major Results of a Multidisciplinary Study of the Classic Maya collapse

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur A. Demarest
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Design Structure ◽  
Maya Civilization ◽  
History Of ◽  
Archaeological Project ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
New Evidence

AbstractThe background, research design, structure, personnel, and history of investigations of the Vanderbilt Petexbatun Archaeological Project are summarized and critiqued. The major findings of each of the dozen subprojects of this multidisciplinary investigation of Maya civilization in the southwestern Peten region of Guatemala are reviewed. Subproject results include important new evidence on Classic Maya history, warfare, ecology, nutrition, cave ritual, social organization, and trade. These are summarized with particular emphasis on the implications of the Petexbatun findings for theories of the decline of southern lowland Maya civilization at the end of the Classic period.

New Radiocarbon Dates and the Maya Correlation Problem

1960 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linton Satterthwaite ◽  
Elizabeth K. Ralph
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Correlation Problem

AbstractTwo long series of samples from Tikal, Petén, Guatemala, have been dated by the radiocarbon method for the purpose of limiting the range of possible correlations of the Maya calendar with the Christian. These samples from lintel and vault beams were selected from latest-growth portions of the beams which were presumably cut at times corresponding to Maya dates carved on lintels of two temples. Christian dates for dedicatory Maya dates of the lintels are calculated according to five correlation hypotheses, and are compared with radiocarbon dates for ten beams from Temple IV and six from Temple I. These new radiocarbon dates are shown to be closely related to “absolute” ages by means of radiocarbon counts of tree-ring-dated samples of the same period. The radiocarbon results support the 11-16 (Goodman-Thompson-Martinez) correlation. Attention is given to previous radiocarbon tests by other laboratories of beams removed from Tikal many years ago which seemed to favor the 12-9 correlation in Spinden or Makemson variants. With the aid of new radiocarbon dates for similar samples, reasons for the differences in results are discussed.

NEW EVIDENCE FOR POLITICAL HIERARCHY AND POWER IN THE NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS (a.d.600–1000)

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Graña-Behrens
Keyword(s):  
Northern Region ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Personal Names ◽  
Political Hierarchy ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
New Evidence

AbstractThis paper presents new evidence for hierarchy and power among the Classic Maya (a.d.300–1000) from the northern lowlands. It expands the list of identified emblem glyphs, and, more particularly, focuses on emblems with numerals by questioning their meaning and function in terms of political organization. Furthermore, the paper centers on syntax, especially on the practice of structuring personal names and titles in order to isolate titles and emblem glyphs, as well as to rank individuals and further advance our understanding of ancient Maya political organization. Finally, a dynastic sequence of rulers and noblemen from the Chan or Kan kingdom (most probably Jaina) is proposed, as well as divergent monumental traditions within the northern region and a re-evaluation of interpolity relationships.

The Maize Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art

1989 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl A. Taube
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Water Group ◽  
Linguistic Data ◽  
Principal Subject ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Phonetic Value

Iconographic, epigraphic, and linguistic data provide new evidence that the tamale constituted the primary maize food of Classic Maya diet. Archaeological and ethnohistoric data pertaining to the tamale and tortilla are reviewed and discussed in terms of the widespread representation of the tamale in Classic Maya epigraphy and art. Iconographic forms of the tamale are isolated and compared with hieroglyphic signs. Glyphs T:14, 39, 86, 130, 135, 506, 507, 754, 577, 584, and 739 are identified as representations of the tamale. Affix T130 contains either of two tamale types, both possessing the phonetic value wa or wah in the ancient script. This syllable provides readings for the Postclassic water group, the action of standing, and an unusual emblem glyph possibly referring to a supernatural region. In addition, the two tamale forms of T130 provide partial readings for the Classic terms for the numbers six, eight, and the name glyph of God N. It is suggested that the tamale constituted an important offering in Classic ritual, and is a principal subject of 819-day cycle texts.

Lowland Maya radiocarbon dates and the classic Maya collapse

Nature ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 277 (5694) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Sidrys ◽  
Rainer Berger
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
Lowland Maya

scholarly journals The Earliest Maya Farmers of Peten: New Evidence from Buenavista-Nuevo San José, Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette E. Castellanos ◽  
Antonia E. Foias
Keyword(s):  
Strong Interactions ◽  
San Jose ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Early Settlement ◽  
Early Farming ◽  
Early Farmers ◽  
New Evidence

The origins and cultural affiliations of the first sedentary agricultural and pottery-producing communities in the southern Maya lowlands remain hotly debated. Here, we describe the discovery of a new early farming settlement at the small site of Buenavista-Nuevo San José on Lake Peten Itza in northern Guatemala. Evidence for a pre-Mamom occupation (1000–700 BC) at this site was found in the deepest fill layers overlying bedrock, including pottery diagnostic of this time period and the remains of a post-in-bedrock dwelling. Because the evidence for this early settlement is from secondary contexts and because four radiocarbon dates cover a broad chronological range, the best evidence for the pre-Mamom occupation consists of the ceramics recovered in the excavations. The closest links of the pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista-Nuevo San José are with the Eb complex at Tikal and the Cunil complex of Cahal Pech, Belize, suggesting strong interactions between these early groups. The discovery of pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista also suggests that the early farmers were more widespread than previously suggested. Furthermore, the presence of Olmecoid symbols incised on the pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista-Nuevo San José indicates that these early communities were immersed in broad pan-Mesoamerican spheres of interaction.

Insights into the Earliest Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: New Evidence and Radiocarbon Dates from the Real Alto Site

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey V Tabarev ◽  
Yoshitaka Kanomata ◽  
Jorge G Marcos ◽  
Alexander N Popov ◽  
Boris V Lazin
Keyword(s):  
Las Vegas ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
South American ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
American Archaeology ◽  
The Real ◽  
Local Origin ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
South American Archaeology ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractOne of the most intriguing questions of South American archaeology is the time, place, and origin of the earliest pottery. Since the late 1950s, the earliest pottery has been attributed to the materials of the Early Formative Valdivia culture (5600–3500 BP), coastal Ecuador. Excavations at the Real Alto site conducted in the 1970s and 1980s allowed the rejection of the spectacular “Jomon–Valdivia” hypothesis and established a local origin of the phenomenon. Recent radiocarbon dates from a joint Russian–Japanese–Ecuadorian project at Real Alto open a new page in our knowledge of the transition from pre-ceramic Las Vegas to ceramic Valdivia cultures.

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