Ghost of a flea: Cival

May 08, 2004

Cival

New estimates suggest Cival to have been one of the largest cities of "pre-classic" Mayan civilization. Vanderbilt archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli makes use of his new finds to make a satisfying point.

Tradition dates the Preclassic Period from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 250, and the Classic from A.D. 250 to 900. Estrada-Belli dates Cival to about 150 B.C. "'Preclassic' is a misnomer," according to the archaeologist. "Preclassic Maya societies already had many features that have been attributed to the Classic period � kings, complex iconography, elaborate palaces and burials."

Ian Skidmore argues the established line that adoption of king-lists around AD250 may point to a "focus on dynastic rule." To my mind, the highly conventionalized urban plan and textbook arrangement of ceremonial artifacts at Cival suggest even that distinction may prove to be ephemeral. Seriously, I could have made up this data as an essay question.

Alfred Korzybski famously observed that "a map does not represent all of a territory." Mayan archaeology continues to suffer from decades of adherence to historical metaphors drawn from representation of Hellenic antiquity, most notably a problematical application of the term polis. It is a relief to read about someone working from the facts on the ground.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at May 8, 2004 08:14 AM

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