Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.

Investigations at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala, documented an artificial plateau, measuring 600 x 340 m in horizontal dimensions and 6 to 15 m in height. Unlike highly visible pyramids, such horizontally extensive constructions covered by the rainforest are difficult to recognize on the ground...

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Main Authors: Takeshi Inomata, Daniela Triadan, Flory Pinzón, Kazuo Aoyama
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221943
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spelling doaj-38d704ee5c234331a30073fd4d81dcef2021-03-03T21:08:35ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01148e022194310.1371/journal.pone.0221943Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.Takeshi InomataDaniela TriadanFlory PinzónKazuo AoyamaInvestigations at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala, documented an artificial plateau, measuring 600 x 340 m in horizontal dimensions and 6 to 15 m in height. Unlike highly visible pyramids, such horizontally extensive constructions covered by the rainforest are difficult to recognize on the ground, but airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) revealed its planned form. Excavations carried out over many years provided data on its construction sequence, fill volumes, and labor investments. The initial construction of the plateau occurred around 950 B.C. when a formal ceremonial complex was built in its center. This was the period when the inhabitants of the Maya lowlands were adopting a new way of life with greater reliance on maize agriculture, full sedentism, and ceramic use. The inhabitants of areas surrounding Ceibal, who retained certain levels of residential mobility, probably participated in the construction of the plateau. In this regard, the Ceibal plateau is comparable to monumental constructions that emerged before or during the transition to agriculture or sedentism in other parts of the world. The data from Ceibal compel researchers to examine the social implications of monumental constructions in the Maya lowlands before the establishment of centralized polities with hereditary rulers. Unlike pyramids, where access to the summits may have been limited to privileged individuals, the horizontal monumentality of the plateau was probably more conducive to inclusive interaction. The Ceibal plateau continued to be built up during the Preclassic period (1000 B.C.-A.D. 175), and its fill volume substantially surpassed those of pyramids. Large-scale construction projects likely promoted organizational and managerial innovations among participants, which may have set the stage for later administrative centralization.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221943
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Takeshi Inomata
Daniela Triadan
Flory Pinzón
Kazuo Aoyama
spellingShingle Takeshi Inomata
Daniela Triadan
Flory Pinzón
Kazuo Aoyama
Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Takeshi Inomata
Daniela Triadan
Flory Pinzón
Kazuo Aoyama
author_sort Takeshi Inomata
title Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
title_short Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
title_full Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
title_fullStr Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
title_full_unstemmed Artificial plateau construction during the Preclassic period at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala.
title_sort artificial plateau construction during the preclassic period at the maya site of ceibal, guatemala.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2019-01-01
description Investigations at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala, documented an artificial plateau, measuring 600 x 340 m in horizontal dimensions and 6 to 15 m in height. Unlike highly visible pyramids, such horizontally extensive constructions covered by the rainforest are difficult to recognize on the ground, but airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) revealed its planned form. Excavations carried out over many years provided data on its construction sequence, fill volumes, and labor investments. The initial construction of the plateau occurred around 950 B.C. when a formal ceremonial complex was built in its center. This was the period when the inhabitants of the Maya lowlands were adopting a new way of life with greater reliance on maize agriculture, full sedentism, and ceramic use. The inhabitants of areas surrounding Ceibal, who retained certain levels of residential mobility, probably participated in the construction of the plateau. In this regard, the Ceibal plateau is comparable to monumental constructions that emerged before or during the transition to agriculture or sedentism in other parts of the world. The data from Ceibal compel researchers to examine the social implications of monumental constructions in the Maya lowlands before the establishment of centralized polities with hereditary rulers. Unlike pyramids, where access to the summits may have been limited to privileged individuals, the horizontal monumentality of the plateau was probably more conducive to inclusive interaction. The Ceibal plateau continued to be built up during the Preclassic period (1000 B.C.-A.D. 175), and its fill volume substantially surpassed those of pyramids. Large-scale construction projects likely promoted organizational and managerial innovations among participants, which may have set the stage for later administrative centralization.
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221943
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