The organization of Late Classic lithic production at the prehistoric Maya site of Colha, Belize: A study in complexity and heterarchy.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

King, Eleanor Mather.

Contributor:

Sharer, Robert J., advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Archaeology.

0324.

Penn dissertations--Anthropology.

Anthropology--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Anthropology.

Anthropology--Penn dissertations.

0324.

Physical Description:

483 pages

Contained In:

Dissertation Abstracts International 61-03A.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

Craft specialization has long been considered a hallmark of complex societies. Specialization itself is thought to reflect an organically interdependent society, while control over craft production and distribution are viewed as key components of elite power. Fruitful as this theoretical perspective has been, it is fraught with unexplored assumptions. The most central of these, concerning the very nature of complexity, are still evident in contemporary approaches, especially those of political economy, the domain under which discussions of specialization now generally fall. We need to examine these unchallenged assumptions and develop new approaches to craft specialization. Most promising is a dialectical, multiscalar approach that can focus on many facets of specialization simultaneously.

The ancient Maya present an ideal test of this approach. Geographically and culturally distinctive, the Maya possess a well-documented history of complex development. Theories about Maya society carry old baggage concerning the role of craft specialization, which remains pivotal in ongoing discussions about their level of complexity. Following a wide-ranging review of Maya theory and the tenacious assumptions behind it, this thesis discusses evidence from Colha, Belize, arguably the best exemplar of craft specialization in the Maya area. A reconstruction of the organization of lithic production there is offered for the Late Classic (A.D. 600--900), widely regarded as the apogee of Maya development. This reconstruction is then compared against evidence from other Maya craft systems, notably ceramics. The structure of production and distribution thus brought to light differs significantly from that expected under current models of complexity. This discrepancy suggests that we need to consider alternative views of complexity, specifically the idea of heterarchy, which applies not only the Maya but to other complex societies worldwide. We also need to look beyond heterarchy at the complexity theory currently being developed around the behavior of self-organizing systems in many disciplines. After all, few, if any, systems are more complex than those associated with humans.

Notes:

Thesis (Ph.D. in Anthropology) -- University of Pennsylvania, 2000.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-03, Section: A, page: 1046.

Supervisor: Robert J. Sharer.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175.

ISBN:

9780599701212

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.