This dissertation contributes to anthropological debate regarding the effects of interaction on material and symbolic culture. The investigation tests the hypothesis that Maya writing emerged in late Middle Preclassic through Early Classic period Mesoamerica (700 BC-AD 450) as a correlate of interregional sociopolitical and economic interaction. Archaeologists working in many areas of the world have long claimed that interaction is central to cultural innovation, especially in relation to the development of writing. If the emergence of the Maya script is a correlate of systemic regional interaction, its developmental process should be traceable archaeologically through artifactual evidence. The hypothesis is tested by exploring archaeological indicators of interaction against a backdrop of previously documented transformations in the emerging Mayan script. The model proposed here builds on current models of the development of Mesoamerican writing systems, models of interregional interaction and cultural development, and systemic complexity theory to associate archaeological remains with the development of the Mayan script. A significant revelation of this research is that the contextual framework in which material and symbolic goods were used and exchanged in past societies is equally as important as the formal qualities of the artifacts themselves in achieving a more complex understanding of their developmental histories. This project represents a rare instance of investigation at the nexus of epigraphy, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. Examining the development of writing in relation to stylistically defined zones of interaction permits more nuanced questions about the relationship between writing, other aspects of material culture, and cultural meaning. Archaeologists can infer cultural logics from artifactual exchange to create clearer links between material artifacts and symbolic concepts. The project shows how combining epigraphic, linguistic, and archaeological data can illuminate wider questions related to the development of sociopolitical complexity, cultural innovation, and long-term processes of linguistic and socio-cultural change, furthering anthropological debate in each sub-discipline. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2011. / October 21, 2011. / Ceramics, Epigraphy, Maya / Includes bibliographical references. / Mary Pohl, Professor Directing Dissertation; Daniel Pullen, University Representative; William Parkinson, Committee Member; Joseph Hellweg, Committee Member; Michael Carrasco, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_182842 |
| Contributors | Englehardt, Joshua (authoraut), Pohl, Mary (professor directing dissertation), Pullen, Daniel (university representative), Parkinson, William (committee member), Hellweg, Joseph (committee member), Carrasco, Michael (committee member), Department of Anthropology (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds