Research Catalog

Title

Trees of paradise and pillars of the world : the serial stela cycle of "18-Rabbit-God K," King of Copan / Elizabeth A. Newsome.

Author

Newsome, Elizabeth A.

Publication

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2001.

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Holdings

Details

Description

xx, 272 p. : ill., maps; 29 cm.

Summary

• "Based on a thorough analysis of the imagery and inscriptions of seven stelae erected in the Great Plaza at Copan, Honduras, by the Classic Period ruler 18-Rabbit-God K, this study argues that stelae were erected not only to support a ruler's temporal claims to power but more importantly to express the fundamental connection in Maya worldview between rulership and the cosmology inherent in their vision of cyclical time. After an overview of the archaeology and history of Copan and the reign and monuments of 18-Rabbit-God K, Elizabeth Newsome interprets the iconography and inscriptions on the stelae, illustrating the way they fulfilled a coordinated vision of the king's ceremonial role in Copan's period-ending rites.
• She also links their imagery to key Maya concepts about the origin of the universe, expressed in the cosmologies and mythic lore of ancient and living Maya peoples." "Because previous scholarship has never assigned all seven monuments to a single period or the patronage of one ruler, the uniqueness of Newsome's study lies in the way it explicates the overall meaning and function of the stela series with respect to the long-term activities and agendas of one king."--Jacket.

Series Statement

The Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies

Uniform Title

The Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies.

Subject

• Copán Site (Honduras)
• Maya art > Copán Site
• Mayan languages > Writing
• Mayas > Copán Site > Rites and ceremonies
• Mayas > Honduras > Antiquities
• Stele (Archaeology) > Copán Site
• Stele (Archaeology) > Honduras
• Uaxaclahun U Bah K'awil, King of Copán

Note

• Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.--University of Texas at Austin, 1991).

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-255) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction: Cosmic Origin Myths, Kingship, and the Rites of Renewal: An Introduction to the Stela Cult in the Classic Maya Lowlands -- Ch. 1. 18-Rabbit's Kingdom: Archaeology and History at Copan -- Ch. 2. The Reign and Monuments of 18-Rabbit-God K -- Ch. 3. The Iconography of Vision Quest in 18-Rabbit's Stela Cycle -- Ch. 4. A Spell Cast Over the Perimeter of Sacred Ground: The Inscriptions of 18-Rabbit's Stelae -- Ch. 5. Trees of Paradise and Pillars of the World: An Iconological Interpretation of 18-Rabbit's Great Plaza Series.

ISBN

0292755724 (cloth : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^^00046698^

OCLC

45024424

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library