LiDAR Technology and Maya Civilization

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  • LiDAR技術とマヤ文明

Abstract

LiDAR is revolutionizing Maya archaeology and allows archaeologists to capture 3D data of settlement patterns with a level of precision that permits the identification of archaeological sites in difficult to reach and inaccessible regions. This article presents the results of our investigations conducted in and around Ceibal, Guatemala and Aguada Fénix, Mexico. Our data provides important clues to the diverse processes that existed in the construction of monumental structures in societies with limited social inequality before the establishment of sedentary agricultural communities and rulership. Repeated performance of public rituals held in the E-Group plaza throughout the Middle Preclassic period, along with collaborative construction projects in the same location emphasizes the importance of the continuity of place over generations, materializing social memory. Emerging elites likely came to play an increasingly important role in public rituals as principal performers and organizers, setting the stage for later public events centered on rulers.

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