1/1/2024 0 Comments Civ 6 least warlikeAs such, perhaps it played less of a role in the collapse of the Maya empire than some had previously suggested. This suggests that such burning was perhaps more common in ancient Maya warfare than previously known, the researchers said.Īll in all, these findings suggest such destructive total warfare was practiced even during the peak of ancient Maya prosperity and artistic sophistication, challenging theories suggesting that it was unique to the waning days of Maya civilization. The symbol "puluuy," which was used to describe the burning of Bahlam Jol, was previously seen at other Maya sites. "But in Witzna, the city was wiped out, like you see in the Terminal Classic." "You do see the persistence of the royal lineage there after the attack, whereas in the Terminal Classic, the royal family is either killed or removed," Wahl said. In addition, Wahl and his colleagues also found that before the end of the seventh century, lake deposits showed many signs of human activity - such as farming residues and vestiges from burning - but these declined dramatically after the presumed attack.Īlthough the destruction seen at Witzna was reminiscent of that seen at the end of the Classic period, there were differences. The razing of all key structures across Witzna, including the royal palace as well as monuments inscribed with glyphs, supported the idea this site experienced major destruction. Carbon dating of a seed in this charcoal layer suggested the fire happened in the last decade of the seventh century, supporting the Naranjo stela's inscription. In lake deposits adjacent to Witzna, Wahl and his colleagues discovered a 1.2-inch (3 centimeters) layer of charcoal resulting from a massive fire, by far the largest in the 1,700 years worth of sediment they looked at. The inscription stated that in 697, Bahlam Jol was attacked and burned for a second time. This revealed the site's Mayan name, Bahlam Jol, alongside customary symbols of rule - the scepter of the lightning god K'awiil and a shield on a bound captive.Īt Naranjo, a Classic Maya city 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Witzna, prior work had found another stela. The scientists unexpectedly discovered a stela, or stone column, with readable emblem glyphs - a hieroglyphic inscription dedicated to a city's lord. Once we reached open water, we were pretty alarmed to see at least a dozen alligators lingering about intently watching our activity." This involved standing in chest-deep water swinging machetes to clear a path. The lake is ringed by sawgrass - sedges with edges as sharp as they sound - and it took a crew of around eight people three days to penetrate the sedges and build a pier just to access the open water. "There are no roads to the lake, so all equipment and supplies are carried in, down a steep 100-meter escarpment. "The biggest challenge in this study - indeed, most of the work I've done in Petén - is the remoteness of the field site," Wahl said. The researchers made their discovery while investigating past environmental changes around the archaeological site of Witzna in the Petén region of Guatemala, which encompasses the northern third of that country. "We see that the tactics used had negative consequences for the local population in such a way that, in this case, the trajectory of settlement in the city was permanently changed." "We now have, for the first time, a picture of the broader impacts of a Classic-period Maya attack," Wahl said. Now, scientists find that the ancient Maya may have engaged in this type of total war much earlier than previously thought. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, told LiveScience. "In termination events, cities were completely destroyed and royal families were removed - sometimes thrown in wells or buried in ceremonial centers," study lead author David Wahl, a research geographer at the U.S. However, archaeologists unearthed signs that the ancient Maya at the end of the Classic period practiced the extraordinarily destructive tactics of total warfare, where both civilian and military resources were targeted, at times resulting in the widespread destruction of cities. Previous research suggested that during the Classic period, warfare among the ancient Maya was mostly ritualized and limited in scope, with strict rules of engagement centered on procuring elite captives for tribute and ransom and minimal involvement of noncombatants. An escalation of violence may have also played a role in the Maya downfall.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |