Scribes, Warriors, and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya, Revised Edition - Softcover

Fash, William L., JR.; Fash, William L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 050028282X ISBN 13: 9780500282823

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2001

Synopsis

Copan in modern Honduras was one of the great cities of the Classic Maya. Abandoned to the rain forest for nearly a thousand years, it was rediscovered in the early 1800s. Now, two centuries later, an international team of scholars is solving the puzzle of Copan and the ancient Maya. William Fash, himself one of the key contributors to the recent breakthroughs, describes how decipherment of the Maya inscriptions together with tomb finds have unlocked the secrets of Copan's history. For this revised edition, Professor Fash shows how recent discoveries in the Acropolis, urban wards, and rural redoubts of the Copan kingdom reveal fascinating insights into the life and times of royalty, nobles, and commoners in this distinguished Maya city. The uncovering of the extraordinary tomb of the dynasty's founder provides illuminating information on his origins and accomplishments, while archaeological and hieroglyphic studies have demonstrated the importance of Tikal and the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the founding and long-term legitimization of the Copan royal line. New excavations in the royal residential area give a blueprint for the layout and functioning of Maya palaces, as well as dramatic evidence for the violent and sudden end to dynastic rule. 11 color and 109 b/w illustrations.

About this title

About the Author

William Fash is Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. Since 1978 he and his wife Barbara have participated in a series of multidisciplinary research projects at Copán. He was awarded the Order of José Cecilio del Valle by the Government of Honduras in 1994 for his contributions to Maya archaeology.

From Library Journal

Written by an archaeologist for others in the profession, this book presents a short history of Copan, a well-excavated ruin in Honduras. Prevailing theory is that Mayan stelai commemorate real people and events. The researchers at Copan have recognized a dynasty of 16 kings beginning with K'inich Yax K'uk Mo' in 426 A.D. and ending with Yax Pac in 820 A.D. During those four centuries, the city-state of Copan rose, flourished, and declined. Fash, director of the Copan Mosaics Project, celebrates more than a century of work at this site: the reader learns as much about Mayan archaeological progress as about Copan. Magnificent photographs and drawings enliven a dry text. This excellent report from a major research site should be in all academic collections that support archaeology.
- Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 050028282X
• ISBN 13: 9780500282823
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192
• Illustrator: Fash Barbara W.