Collaborative Proposal: Warfare, Landscape Alteration And Social Organization

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The historical arc of violence between communities and states is a concern worldwide. Warfare deeply impacts the development of governance, economy, language, technology and more, and is a central topic of study in the social sciences. Archaeologists are uniquely positioned to study the development and impacts of warfare over many centuries, even in those societies for which there is limited historical information. Dr. Andrew Scherer of Brown University, Dr. Charles Golden of Brandeis University, and their Guatemalan collaborators will explore the conduct and impact of warfare among Classic period (AD 250 - 900) Maya kingdoms, offering a case study in which historical records complement the material remains studied by archaeologists. This research will produce important data providing a rich comparison with other societies in the ancient and historical Americas, as well as the states and chiefdoms in Eurasia and Africa including Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt that have long provided much of our understandings of the development of war and statecraft. This research has the practical benefit of strengthening collaborative research ties between American and Guatemalan scientists, and provides training opportunities for American and Guatemalan undergraduate and graduate students. Further, the research zone is being devastated by looting, illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, forest fires, and ranching. This work will provide government authorities, land-use managers, and local communities with data detailing the location and extent of archaeological sites and extends infrastructural support to help combat this destruction. The project will provide employment opportunities for impoverished communities in the area around the park. The project will therefore demonstrate America's commitment to the advancement of knowledge, the protection of natural and cultural resources, and the betterment of lives in neighboring countries and developing economies.The Maya were once thought to be one of the few ancient states without warfare, their rulers concerned with little more than religious rituals. More recent research has revealed that ancient Maya society had more in common with other ancient and modern states, and that warfare constituted a tragic but important component of statecraft. Yet our understanding of Maya warfare has been derived largely from art and hieroglyphic inscriptions with little understanding of how it was actually conducted, supported logistically, how it may have impacted society, and its role as a cause and effect of political formation and collapse. Scherer and Golden will use as their case study the Classic period kingdoms of Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan. They have previously conducted research on fortifications at boundaries of these kingdoms, dating to the eighth century AD. These have been interpreted as indicative of escalating violence immediately preceding the political collapse of these states. To determine whether warfare and defense were concerns from the foundation of these kingdoms, shaping in part their political and economic development, Scherer, Golden, and collaborators will study defenses associated directly with the political capitals of Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan. Preliminary observations by the co-PIs and their local collaborators suggest such defenses do exist, contrary to the assumption that most such capitals did not have fortifications.