Death and the Classic Maya Kings (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) [Hardcover]

James L. Fitzsimmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009 | Series: Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies

Like their regal counterparts in societies around the globe, ancient Maya rulers departed this world with elaborate burial ceremonies and lavish grave goods, which often included ceramics, red pigments, earflares, stingray spines, jades, pearls, obsidian blades, and mosaics. Archaeological investigation of these burials, as well as the decipherment of inscriptions that record Maya rulers' funerary rites, have opened a fascinating window on how the ancient Maya envisaged the ruler's passage from the world of the living to the realm of the ancestors. Focusing on the Classic Period (AD 250-900), James Fitzsimmons examines and compares textual and archaeological evidence for rites of death and burial in the Maya lowlands, from which he creates models of royal Maya funerary behavior. Exploring ancient Maya attitudes toward death expressed at well-known sites such as Tikal, Guatemala, and Copan, Honduras, as well as less-explored archaeological locations, Fitzsimmons reconstructs royal mortuary rites and expands our understanding of key Maya concepts including the afterlife and ancestor veneration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fitzsimmons is the first to attempt to survey the entire corpus of Lowland Maya hieroglyphic texts, iconography, and archaeological site documentation relating to royal death, burial, and afterlife. It is an ambitious undertaking, but Fitzsimmons rises to the challenge and has produced a book that makes a lasting contribution to Maya archaeology. (Patricia A. McAnany, Boston University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of Living with the Ancestors: Kinship and Kingship in Ancient Maya Society )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; First Edition edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029271890X
• ISBN-13: 978-0292718906
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars maya, October 1, 2011

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Sebastian Carranza-Lira - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death and the Classic Maya Kings (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) (Hardcover)

As all Linda Schele work they are excellent. Maybe this is not as interesting as other but it is very good.