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Elite Maya Pottery and Artisans as Social Indicators
Author(s) -
ReentsBudet Dorie
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
archeological papers of the american anthropological association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.783
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1551-8248
pISSN - 1551-823X
DOI - 10.1525/ap3a.1998.8.1.71
Subject(s) - pottery , period (music) , prestige , elite , maya , politics , narrative , identity (music) , value (mathematics) , power (physics) , history , conspicuous consumption , art , ancient history , archaeology , aesthetics , literature , political science , law , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , computer science , emerging markets , macroeconomics , economics
Pre‐Columbian Maya Classic period (A.D. 250–850) polychrome pottery underwent a metamorphosis during the sixth century A.D. to become a polyvalent pictorial and hieroglyphic narrative phenomenon whose transformation is tied directly to the period's sociopolitical developments. These specialized ceramics, created for and sometimes by members of the ruling stratum, are important indicators of the social and political dynamics of the Late Classic period (A.D. 550–850). This pictorial pottery informs on the heightened sociopolitical role of specialized crafting and also on that of the artists during this dynamic period. The elevated social identities of some of these artisans, in part created by a perceived connection between them and the gods of Creation, lent prestige to their crafted items. This constructed identity increased the social value of these crafted objects in their role as important accouterments of the sociopolitical power structures of the Late Classic period.