Leiden University Student Repository

Medema, Ralph (2014)

Ritual Tradition in Iconography - An Analysis of Three Classic Maya Carved Lintels

Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)

The field of analyzing the ritual traditions found in societies around the globe has long been an area of fruitful study in both archaeology and anthropology. Besides reflecting on some significant reconceptualizations relevant to the investigation of ritual, the aim of this thesis is to approach visual imagery as a way of investigating ritual conventionality. In this effort, the compatibility of Roy Rappaport’s model of investigation will be tested on several examples from the archaeological site of Yaxchilan. Working from a theoretical framework focusing on the mental ordering of surroundings manifested in ritual forms, this thesis will explore the value of further interdisciplinary research of the system involving constructed world visions and ritual performance.

Maya

Iconography

Yaxchilan

Ritual

Worldview

Convention

Author

Medema, Ralph

Faculty

Faculty of Archaeology

Specialisation

Religion and Society in Native American Cultures

Supervisors

Jansen, Maarten

ECTS Credits

35

Language

en