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The Ceren Site: An Ancient Village Buried by Volcanic Ash in Central America (Case Studies In Archaeology)

Amazon.com Price:  $60.92 (as of 19/04/2019 09:55 PST- Details)

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Description

Discovered in 1976 by Sheets, and under continuous excavation and study since, the spectacular Ceren site provides us with an unusually clear window into the ancient past with which to view circle of relatives activities on the frontier of the Mayan civilization. Since volcanic ash did not allow people to selectively remove artifacts, the site is well-preserved and it also in large part stopped natural processes of decomposition offering this rare opportunity to study the Mayan past through household archaeology. Referred to as the New World Pompeii, this study provides a detailed portrait of the life, houses, artifacts, and activity areas of the people who supported the elites with labor, food and goods. As Sheets says, “With any civilization that’s being studied, if the households of commoners don’t seem to be being investigated, you’ve eliminated the bulk of the population. How are you able to bear in mind the society if you ignore the general public? It’s like an ethnography. Only we will’t interview people, so their possessions have to speak for them.” Art and images from the writer’s own collection help illuminate the discussions and bring them to life, whilst the writer’s discussion of his personal trials and triumphs add a more human dimension to working in the field.

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