UCL Institute of Archaeology ARCL0053 Maya Civilisation Module Handbook Term II 2020-21 Year 2/3 module option, 0.5 Unit, 15 credits We try to be as accurate as possible with the information in this handbook. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there may be changes during the course of the term. Just a reminder from wise old Ixchel and me, the Snake-on-Top, that things might change. Check for updates at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students / The goddess Ix Chel From the Dresden Codex Prerequisite: ARCL0053 Archaeology of Mesoamerica Live stream: Friday 1-3pm Course co-ordinator: Prof. Elizabeth Graham with invaluable assistance from Panos Kratimenos Office hours: No set office hours – booking link is: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/ E-mail: [email protected] Refer to the IoA home page (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/current-students) for links to the IoA Student Handbook & IoA Study Skills Guide. See Section 2, below, for details. Moodle is the main software format for this course. Information will be regularly posted by Liz in the Announcements on Moodle (at the top), and you will receive an automatic email notification with her words of wisdom. You cannot reply to these emails via Moodle but you can e-mail Liz (or Panos) directly if you have a question. Zoom is used for live classes. 2020-21, ARCL0053, Maya Civilisation, Page 2 Module description This course builds on the archaeology of Mesoamerica and provides an examination in greater depth of Maya history, archaeology, ethnohistory, calendrics and epigraphy (the decipherment of hieroglyphic inscriptions). Aims This course is an introduction to the civilisation of the Precolumbian Maya. I expect that students will already have taken the course on the Archaeology of Mesoamerica, ARCL0031, and will be familiar with Mesoamerica as a culture area. If not, the encyclopedias or handbooks listed in Section No.3, below, are the best sources available online. The best text, also listed in Section No. 3, is only in print: Susan Toby Evans’ on Ancient Mexico and Central America of which there are three editions; any is fine. This book is different from the encyclopedia that Susan and her husband David Webster have published, which is probably also good, but is also only in print. My aim is to provide an overview of Maya culture, society, environment, food production, settlement patterns, architecture, calendrics, and aspects of material culture to increase awareness of the importance of Maya contributions to civilisation. I also hope to increase awareness of the rich cultural heritage of living Maya groups. Objectives On successful completion of the course, a student should have developed a basic knowledge of: 1) approaches to excavation and recovery in wet tropical environments, 2) human-environmental interaction in the humid tropics, 3) how data from archaeology, epigraphy, ethnohistory, and ethnography are integrated, 4) the nature of the colonial encounter, and 4) Maya culture history. Learning outcomes in terms of key skills On successful completion of the course, students should demonstrate: • Meticulous citation and referencing practices • Expository writing skills • A good level of research skills • Critical skills, particularly regarding source materials and their use, as well as authors’ claims. (Except mine which are always right.) Methods of assessment Two assignments. See below under No. 2, ASSESSMENT for details. Week-by-week summary (Lectures by E. Graham; P. Kratimenos and possibly guest lecturers will contribute.) Week Date Topic 1 15 January Introduction to the course 2 22 January Environment and resources of the Maya area 3 29January The earliest Maya and the rise of Maya civilisation 4 05 February Maya thought, beliefs & culture 5 12 February The social and political landscapes 6 15-19 February R E A D I N G W E E K 7 26 February The Early Classic and Teotihuacan 8 05 March Late Classic apogee of Maya civilisation 9 12 March The Terminal Classic & the Maya collapse, warfare 10 19 March The Postclassic – still lots of fighting 11 26 March The Conquest (or not?) of the Maya area 2020-21, ARCL0053, Maya Civilisation, Page 3 Weekly module plan Pre-recorded powerpoint lectures (via Lecturecast/Echo360) will be made available (asynchronous) for most weeks. These will be posted on Moodle by week and topic. No asynchronous lecture is posted for the first week and, depending on when assignments are due, there may be other weeks with no asynchronous lectures. Weekly live classes are given via Zoom, which can be accessed each week on the class Moodle page. If you find you need a password, use ajaw. You will also be expected to: • Complete weekly readings • Post questions in Hot Questions weekly • Attend the Friday live class from 1 to 3pm • Participate in discussion, both in class and in Breakout Rooms • Learn to dance (only kidding but not a bad idea) • . and if I get the software organised, you will be able to comment on the readings and some visual content. Workload This is a 15-credit course which equates to 150 hours of learning time including session preparation, background reading, and researching and writing assignments. • Weekly live-streamed class/seminar (questions, discussion) = 20 hrs. • Self-guided preparation (reviewing weekly pre-recorded lectures) = 30 hrs. • Weekly readings = 30 hrs. • Preparing discussion questions, short assignments, other online activities = 20 hrs. • Required essays = 50 hrs. TOTAL = 150 hrs. 2. ASSESSMENT Methods of assessment Given word Allowable Normally there are two essays worth 50% each, with each essay 2,500 words. count However, there are changes this term to reduced word counts, so we will discuss 5,000 4,750-5,250 this in class. See the following page for the First Assignment of 1,500 words. 4,500 4,275-4,725 Provisional due dates are: 4,000 3,800-4,200 First assignment: Friday 26th February 2021 3,500 3,325-3,675 Second essay: Friday 16th April 2021 3,000 2,850-3,150 In addition 2,500 2,375-2,625 You are required to post Hot Questions. I will keep track. I expect questions for a 2,000 1,900-2,100 minimum of 70% of lectures. If it falls below this, you will have 2% deducted from 1,500 1,425-1,575 your final mark. 1,000 950-1,050 Essay guidance as well as suggested questions for the Second essay are posted in Moodle in a separate document. You can also come up with your own essay question, but it must be approved by me (EG) first. More on this in class. 2020-21, ARCL0053, Maya Civilisation, Page 4 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ FIRST ASSIGNMENT, 1,500 WORDS, 40% OF FINAL MARK Choose one of the following: (Hint: headings, captions for pictures, in-text citations and references do not count in the word count. Also, I will not count the short Introduction as I’ve asked you to repeat the question there.) No. 1: How does the Maya calendar compare with other kinds of calendrical reckoning? Compare the Maya calendar with a calendar/number system of another civilisation which you have studied. (Could be what is used today.) What are the respective symbols used for counting? What are the cycles used to measure time? Days? Units longer than days? Do you know where the cycles come from? (e.g. planetary bodies? Human body cycles?) Do the numerical bases, or the base units, of the systems differ? By this I mean, are all systems counts of days or are other units of time used (e.g., what we call the ‘year’)? Include a short Introduction which informs the reader how you will lay out the essay. Structure the content with headings. At the end, summarise what you see as the same or different about the systems, and hazard a guess as to why differences may have emerged. Cite all sources with a list of References at the end. No. 2: How helpful—or not—is information on the web about the Maya? Why? • What kinds of web sites come up when you enter ‘Maya archaeology’ or ‘Maya civilization’? • How would you categorise the sites? (Just by broad categories is fine.) • You don’t have the time to do statistics, but what are the themes/topics/beliefs or statements about the Maya that come up most frequently? • What criteria can you use to assess the accuracy or truth of the statements? • What do your results tell us about popular conceptions of the Pre-Columbian Maya? • What are the implications of the accuracy and focus of these conceptions in terms of how we understand the Precolumbian past? Start with a short Introduction in which you tell the reader how you will address the topic—that is, the order of the parts of your essay. Structure the content with headings. For a conclusion or summary, address the final two criteria, above. Cite all sources with a list of References at the end. No. 3: What significance do particular kinds or classes of artefact have in Maya civilisation? • Select a particular kind or class of artefact such as (but not necessarily limited to, but clear your choice with us if it does not appear below): Censers (incensarios) Shell Polychrome plates/dishes plaque Polychrome cylinder vases from Tula Incised conch (Strombus sp.) shells (McVicker Jade pendants and Palka 2001) Spondylus (Thorny oyster) shells Chert (flint) eccentrics (sculptures) – (can include obsidian) Obsidian prismatic blades Stingray spines Animal or human bones (that are artefacts—that is, carved or incised) • Define the kind of artefact you have selected. For example, look up how a ‘censer’ or ‘pendant’ is defined.