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Tuesday, 13-May-2008 06:09:50 GMT
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Danzante Figure

Danzante Figure
Monte Albán
Oaxaca
Mexico
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Week 08

The Classic

Read:
 Mexico, Ch. 6, "The Classic Period," pp. 120-130
Read: The Maya, Ch. 4, "Classic Splendor: The Early Period," pp. 80-88
Look over:
 The Maya, "Dynastic Rulers of Classic Maya Cities," pp. 247-248
Post: MAforum
Work on: Case Study

 

Aerial View of Tikal

Tikál
Guatemala

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan
 Teotihuacán, Mesoamerican Photo Archives -- ©David R. Hixson

 
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Tuesday 11 March 2008

Week 08 Day 15

nlt 04:13 Teotihuacán: The City of the Gods
(27 min., 2002, DVD 121)

  

Announcements


 

MAforum: Topic 5

Maya Climate Change?

 

  

National Geographic aerial photo.

"An undated false-color image shows a Guatemalan bajo—a broad seasonal wetland.
A new analysis of satellite images suggests
that the ancient Maya used these areas for agriculture
inducing drought that caused the downfall of the civiliation.
 This image, taken by the commercial satellite IKONOS,
also reveals yellow discolorations in the dense forest canopy."
—probable sites of ancient Maya buildings
Photograph by Reuters/NASA

There are more hypotheses and theories about the rise and fall of the Maya Civilization than almost anything else in Ancient Middle America. "More than a hundred reasons have been proposed for the downfall of the Maya...."

And National Geographic just added another...

"Maya May Have Caused
Civilization-Ending Climate Change"

"Self-induced drought and climate change may have caused the destruction of the Maya civilization, say scientists working with new satellite technology that monitors Central America's environment...."

The full story by Anne Minard
of the National Geographic News
is available at

<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080229-servir-maya.html>

Related Sites:

Class Maya Page

"Maya Rise and Fall"
-- National Geographic Magazine (August 2007)

Photos: "Maya Rise and Fall"
-- National Geographic News (August 2007)

Maya Rituals Caused Ancient Decline in Big Game
-- National Geographic News (November 15, 2007)

Mysteries of "Sacrificial" Maya Blue Pigment Solved?
-- National Geographic News (February 26, 2008)

"Climate Change Killed off Maya Civilization, Study Says"
-- National Geographic News (March 13, 2003)


Questions:

1. How convincing is the argument that the "Maya May Have Caused Civilization-Ending Climate Change?"

Why do you think that?

 

2. How relevant might this information on Ancient Civilizations in the Petén be to modern society?

Why?

 

Map of Ancient Mayan lands.

Be sure to set your "Folder Selector"
in the main window
to the current topic
[use the “Reload/Main button" to get to the main window]
 Set Folder Selector to Topic 5

Set MAfolder to current Topic.
REM: If you have any questions, you can post them on the MAforum
or bring them up in class
 

Features of the Day

 

Teotihuacan: City of the Gods.


 

Old Business

Mesoamerican Stages (Periods)
stages class handout

(read from bottom to top)
V. Spanish Conquest  
IV. (slides)
III. Classic (slides)
II. Mesoamerica Identifies Itself

(slides: Introduction, Early, Middle, Late)

 

I.

 

"Hunting / Gathering"
Archaic, or Incipient Agriculturalists

(slides)

 


Sites:


  Tepexpan (map) (slides)
     
     
Cuello (map) (slides)


 
 

Assignments

Read:
 Mexico, Ch. 6, "The Classic Period," pp. 120-130
Read: The Maya, Ch. 4, "Classic Splendor: The Early Period," pp. 80-88
Look over:
 The Maya, "Dynastic Rulers of Classic Maya Cities," pp. 247-248
Post: MAforum
Work on: Case Study
 

Notes

  • Tuesday 04 March 2008: Finished Archaic (slides) and Preclassic (slides: Introduction) through #33, fisheries
 
 

Zoque cloth.

Zoque cloth
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Thursday 13 March 2008

Week 08 Day 16

nlt 03:40 Search for the Lost Cave People
(ca. 60 min., 1998, VC 3339)

 

Partially-excavated remains of a child.

Partially-excavated remains of a child

Announcements
 

Features of the Day

 

Search for the Lost Cave People video.

 
 

Old Business

  • next week
 

Assignments

Read:
 Mexico, Ch. 6, "The Classic Period," pp. 120-130
Read: The Maya, Ch. 4, "Classic Splendor: The Early Period," pp. 80-88
Look over:
 The Maya, "Dynastic Rulers of Classic Maya Cities," pp. 247-248
Post: MAforum
Work on: Case Study
 

Notes


  • Mathematics and Calendrics (slides)
    • we will do the Written Record later (slides)
next time
 next week
last week
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Envelope: E-mail © 1998 - 2008 Timothy G. Roufs
Page URL: http://www.d.umn.edu /cla/faculty/troufs/anth3618/maweek08.html
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