The understanding of warfare in ancient Mesoamerica has blossomed in recent years. In this volume, the authors use recent empirical studies to help us understand the patterns and nature of Mesoamerican warfare. Using evidence from ceramics, settlement pattern, epigraphy, ethnohistory, and ethnography, these projects define the martial nature of Mesoamerican societies and link it to ritual, political economy, and other cultural systems. The studies range from preclassic to post-contact and from Belize to Central Mexico. A comparison between this corpus and warfare studies in the American Southwest is also included. This volume will be of interest to Mesoamericanists and other archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians of ancient warfare.
Reviews
In this volume, 20 archaeologists review decades of previous studies and explain the many kinds of conflict and the methods for recognizing them from material evidence. The chapters feature well-illustrated case studies derived from the author's excavations and from hieroglyphic inscriptions, pictorial evidence, historic documents, and ethnographic comparisons....Highly recommended. -- K. A. Dixon, Emeritus, Califonia State University, Long Beach * CHOICE *
Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare is an admirable study examining warfare in chiefdom and early state societies. While the geographic focus is on Mesoamerica, the theoretical nd methodological scope of the papers should have wide appeal to scholars working in other geographic regions and time periods. The book also provides a glimpse into the different ways archaeologists are attempting to deal with warfare. * H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online *
Riveting and detailed... Students and scholars with a diverse range of interests including archaeology, anthropology, the history of warfare, as well as Mesoamerican studies, will find this book essential reading as it is a vital resource for anyone desirous of acquiring an understanding of the role that warfare played in the development and history of ancient Mesoamerican societies. It is also an excellent reference guide to warfare in ancient Mesoamerica and is well suited for use as a supplemental text in any number of univeristy level courses. * History In Review *
The editors introduce 14 apt and searching papers on warfare by a roster of eminent authors. * Antiquity, Vol. 78, Nr. 300, June 2004 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780759102835
Author Kathryn M. Brown
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint AltaMira Press,U.S.
Publisher AltaMira Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 150mm * 23mm