Synopses & Reviews
Review
andldquo;With an engaging and nuanced style, Sarah Jackson provides concrete vignettes of the courtiers who orchestrated the operations of the once-powerful Maya kingdoms of Central America. Using both texts and art, she breathes life into the ceremonies and maneuverings of Classic Period Maya subsidiary elites. Jackson has created at once a foundation for future research on the Maya and a work of interest to students of comparative political systems, both past and present.andrdquo;andmdash;Arlen F. Chase, Chair and Pegasus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida and coauthor of Mesoamerican Elites: An Archaeological Assessment
Synopsis
In recent decades, advances in deciphering Maya hieroglyphic writing have given scholars new tools for understanding key aspects of ancient Maya society. This bookandmdash;the first comprehensive examination of the Maya royal courtandmdash;exemplifies the importance of these new sources. Authored by anthropologist Sarah E. Jackson and richly illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps, Politics of the Maya Court uses hieroglyphic and iconographic evidence to explore the composition and social significance of royal courts in the Late Classic period (a.d. 600andndash;900), with a special emphasis on the role of courtly elites.
About the Author
Sarah E. Jackson is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Cincinnati.