Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Exercise of Political Authority at Callar Creek, Belize

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Under the supervision of Dr. Richard M. Leventhal, Sarah Kurnick will conduct archaeological excavations and analyses at the ancient Maya site of Callar Creek. Callar Creek, located in the Mopan Valley of Belize, was occupied by the ancient Maya from approximately 900 B.C. to 900 A.D. The site includes several residential structures, three pyramidal mounds that would have supported temples or shrines, and four plazas. Four large limestone blocks found at the site may be the remains of monuments. Based on its size, location, features, and layout, Callar Creek was likely the home and administrative center for a low-level elite. Research focusing on the nature of political authority among the ancient Maya is important for a number of reasons. First, the study of political authority among early complex societies provides historical depth and geographic breadth to studies of political authority in the contemporary world. An understanding of the operation of authority among the world's early complex polities provides insight into the operation of authority in modern complex polities. Second, studies of political authority speak to the larger issue of social inequality; political authority is one type of social inequality, one type of asymmetrical social relationship. Inequality is a prominent and persistent feature of our own, other, and past societies. Understanding, explaining, and demystifying social inequality have been, and will continue to be, important aspects of research in the social sciences. Ms. Kurnick will recover and analyze data suggesting what strategies were used by the elites at Callar Creek to acquire and maintain their political authority, and how those strategies changed over time. Specifically, she proposes - and will test for evidence over time of - three strategies that the Callar Creek elites may have used to acquire and maintain their authority: communal gatherings, ancestor veneration, and extra-local connections. In addition to its academic merit, this project will bring economic and educational benefits to the modern community of Callar Creek. The project will provide employment opportunities and practical training to individuals living in an economically impoverished area. The project will also provide opportunities for community members to learn about archaeology in general and about the archaeology of Callar Creek in particular. These activities will increase local awareness of archaeological resources and archaeological stewardship. The overall goal will be to demonstrate the crucial distinction between the benefits of archaeology and the destruction caused by looting. The results of this project will be made available to the scientific community through presentations at professional conferences and through papers published in peer edited journals. A planned website will increase the project's public visibility.