Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies - Assaf Yasur-Landau
Collapses and Renascences: What the Maya and the Old World Have in Common
Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies - Assaf Yasur-Landau
Geoffrey E. Braswell [+]
University of California, San Diego
Geoffrey Braswell is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego. He also has taught at the University of Buffalo, the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. His archaeological research focuses on the ancient economy and political structure of the Maya, as well as long-distance relations with the civilizations of central Mexico. Best known for his research at Chichen Itza and Copan and in southern Belize and the Kaqchikel highlands of Guatemala, Braswell is the author of more than 120 articles and editor of five books about the ancient Maya of Mexico and Central America.
Description
The Classic Maya Collapse of AD 800 is a subject of great speculation as well as research. What is not widely appreciated is that this was but one of several cyclical collapses and cultural rebirths that took place in the rainforests of Mexico and Central America over a 2,600-year time span. Following Bárta's "laws," I argue that dramatic collapses—which are triggered very rapidly (perhaps by climate instability) and seem like punctuated events—are the result of long-term cultural processes. Moreover, the cyclical nature of growth, stability, and collapse appear to be inherent to ancient civilizations, and perhaps to our own.