Crops such as corn, squash and beans made up the staple of their diet and are believed to have been brought from previous migration through Mexico. The earliest days of the Maya date back to 2000 BC when small farming villages first appeared in the highlands and Pacific coastline of Guatemala. Their ceramics depict a fascinating culture of status, sacrifice and deep religious devotion to a number of strange gods.Īrchaeologists divide the Mayan Culture into different periods - LATE PRE-CLASSIC / PROTO-CLASSIC (300 BC - 300 AD), EARLY CLASSIC (300 AD - 600 AD), LATE CLASSIC (600 AD - 830 AD), TERMINAL CLASSIC (830 AD - 950 AD). Their love of war caused them to manufacture spectacular weapons with inherent beauty and artistry. Despite our recent discoveries of Mayan mathematics, astronomy and calendar technology, the Mayans still leave us with many mysteries. Their technology was so advanced it is no wonder many believe they received intelligence from extra-terrestrials. On the contrary, the Mayan Culture of the latter years was bathed in the blood of vicious warfare and astounding levels of human sacrifice. In 1960, their language code of glyphs was finally deciphered and forever changed our view of what we initially thought was a peaceful and harmonious society. Of all the ancient cultures of the Americas, no civilization has held more intrigue and secrets for so long as that of the Mayans. A great piece to display examples of Mayan body adornment and jewelry. This is a rare form and due to its fragile design, seldom are these found unbroken. This seems nearly impossible to have done because the thinnest part of the gorget is on these ends. If that was successfully completed, an even more difficult task of piercing both ends without breaking the piece was needed. The workmanship and skill required to knap a piece like this must have required nerves of steel because a thin sheet flake would have been needed to start and then careful flaking all around the perimeter without breaking this thin flake to form the crescent bow shape. BOTH ends are perfect and unbroken with their original piercings to attach a suspension cord. Remarkably, despite its delicate nature, it has not been broken but most are in antiquity. This is a PERFECTLY PRESERVED, beautifully knapped Mayan obsidian drilled gorget necklace pendant.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |