Archeologists excavating the ruined Guatemalan city of Cancuen have stumbled across the remains of what they believe is one of the pivotal events in the collapse of the Maya civilization — the desperate defense of the once-great trading center and the ritual execution of at least 45 members of its royal court. ... "This was a critical historical moment, like the assassination of [Austrian] Archduke [Franz] Ferdinand [which triggered] World War I," said archeologist Arthur A. Demarest of Vanderbilt University, whose team discovered the charnel house this summer. "It set off the domino of Classic Maya collapse."Stories like this are what make the study of history so exciting. Why the Maya faded from the scene around 800 AD has been an enduring historical mystery. At one of my Harvard Extension School history classes (HIST E-10b/W World History II: The Rise of the East, Spring 2004, taught by Professor Ostrowski) this issue provided fodder for a few lectures, and discussion of what may have precipitated the decline of the Maya. As I recall, two hypotheses that had been put forward were the Maya declined because of disease, or disillusionment with the priest caste and local religious beliefs after a series of incorrect predictions. While these two hypotheses have not been disproved, the new archeological evidence and the hypotheses that have sprung from it are certainly very compelling.
There are also some interesting parallels with Chinese dynastic history -- how many times was the capital city of the ruling emperor besieged and captured, and his entire family executed? Of course, in China a new dynasty was usually proclaimed, whereas after the Mayan family was wiped out, it's not clear if there was an attempt to proclaim a new ruler to fill the power vacuum.
No comments:
Post a Comment