PRE-CLASSIC PERIOD – 2000 B.C.- A.D. 250, between Ceramics and Hieroglyphics Flashcards
2000 – 1000 B.C.
Early Pre-Classic
- Located inland on the Pacific Coastal area
* Generally placed next to oxbow lakes
Villages
First ranked societies appear circa 1700 B.C.
Clusters of villages organized under a single ruler
Ranked Society
1000 – 300 B.C.
Middle Pre-Classic
Maya move from highlands to lowlands.
Migration
• Barra ceramics, thin walled, neckless jars and
bowls used as ritual containers for food and liquid.
• Cooking done by dropping stones in a basket or hide pot.
• First fired clay figurines: generally female and probably related to fertility.
Ceramics
had influence on the Maya,
contributions included the the Long Count Calendar and the Maize God (figure 12)
Olmec Influences
- In the the highlands.
* Now the location of Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala
Kaminaljuyu
• Artifacts include female figurines.
• Ceramics – Las Charcas Whiteware
with red designs, some painted with spider monkey design.
Las Charcas Culture
• Belize lowlands
• Small oval plastered platforms with impermanent
pole structures
Cuello
• Nak’be started as village, by 750 B.C. had platforms with buildings reaching heights of 59 feet above
ground surface.
• Nak’be flourished at the same time as the Olmec Civilization.
Nak’be
300 B.C. – A.D. 250
Late Pre-Classic
Excavation in the plaza and in the burial vaults has recovered extremely sophisticated pottery.
corbelled arches.
Uaxatun
- Pre-Classic Maya reached a high level of social complexity.
- By A.D. 1 Mayan royalty commanded great wealth.
- Could afford elaborate tombs in sacred places and stock them with valuable objects imported from 100s of miles away.
- Symbols of royal authority are evident.
Tikal
• Confluence of New River and Chetmul Bay
in Belize.
• Controlled trade between Caribbean
Sea and inland.
• Circa 300 B.C. was a small fishing village.
• Circa 50 B.C. Becomes an important city
Cerros
