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The Electronic Atlas of Ancient Maya Sites

The Electronic Atlas of Ancient Maya Sites. Walter R. T. Witschey Science Museum of Virginia Clifford T. Brown Middle American Research Institute. Thanks. Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative Middle American Research Institute Science Museum of Virginia. Goals. Identify systems:

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The Electronic Atlas of Ancient Maya Sites

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  1. The Electronic AtlasofAncient Maya Sites Walter R. T. Witschey Science Museum of Virginia Clifford T. Brown Middle American Research Institute

  2. Thanks • Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative • Middle American Research Institute • Science Museum of Virginia

  3. Goals • Identify systems: • Social, economic, political (& polities) • Use settlement data • Use epigraphic data • Test theoretical settlement models • Predict and identify settlement patterns in unsurveyed areas

  4. Research OR Modest resources Smaller in scope Geographically limited Data-constrained State/Federal CRM Heavy on resources Public Administration Record-keeping Typical GIS

  5. Mexico & Central America Maya Area

  6. The Maya Area Yucatan Q.Roo Mexico Campeche Tabasco Belize Chiapas Guatemala Honduras El Salvador

  7. Area + detail = Cost Labor Compute power Knowledge …required for system use Challenge Enough detail for interesting questions Enough resources for the effort Scale

  8. Excavation unitwith artifacts Settlement unit with structures Region with sites

  9. Digital Chart of the World • Developed by United States Department of Defense (Defense Mapping Agency) • Described in Military Specification: Digital Chart of the World. MIL-D-89009. • Mapped at scale of 1:1,000,000 • Horizontal accuracy  2000 - 4200 m

  10. Accuracy Issues • Of site location (latitude/longitude) • Proxy location • Data Conversion • Projection scheme • Source data

  11. Sites Daughter filesOccupationsLong counts ArchitectureCeramics … ArcviewGIS 3.2 BaseData (DCW +)

  12. Main sign Piedras Negras Structure of Emblem Glyphs Tikal Quirigua Palenque Yaxchilan Copan After Coe 1992

  13. Rank 1, 2, 3 and 4 sites

  14. Uomuul Chichmuul Lagartera MMJ Chacchoben La Reforma Tzibanche Chetumal Kohunlich One-day, two-day walks After Harrison 1981

  15. Thiessen polygons Calakmul Mexico Belize Guatemala Tikal After Mathews

  16. Kimball Museum; Birmingham Museum of Art

  17. Result • Non-environmental variables more powerful • Better cognitive and ideological models of settlement and polity

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