Itzam K'an Ahk II

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Itzam K'an Ahk II
Ajaw of Piedras Negras
Itzam K'an Ahk II.svg
Itzam K'an Ahk II's glyph
Reign 729–757 AD
Predecessor K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II
Successor Yo'nal Ahk III
Born November 18, 701
Died November 26, 757
Religion Maya religion

Itzam K'an Ahk II (Mayan pronunciation:  [itsam kʼan ahk] ), also known as Ruler 4, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 729–757 AD. Itzam K'an Ahk II ascended to the throne following the death of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II. Itzam K'an Ahk II may have fathered the following three kings of Piedras Negras: Yo'nal Ahk III, Ha' K'in Xook, and K'inich Yat Ahk II. Following Itzam K'an Ahk II's demise, he was succeeded by Yo'nal Ahk III in 757 AD. Itzam K'an Ahk II left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a large mortuary temple now known as Pyramid O-13. In addition, the details of his life and his K'atun-jubilee were commemorated on Panel 3, raised by K'inich Yat Ahk II several years following Itzam K'an Ahk II's death.

Ajaw

Ajaw or Ahau ('Lord') is a pre-Columbian Maya political title attested from epigraphic inscriptions. It is also the name of the 20th day of the tzolkʼin, the Maya divinatory calendar, on which a king's kʼatun-ending rituals would fall.

Piedras Negras (Maya site) ruined city of pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Guatemala

Piedras Negras is the modern name for a ruined city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization located on the north bank of the Usumacinta River in the Petén department of northeastern Guatemala. Piedras Negras is one of the most powerful of the Usumacinta ancient Maya urban centers. Occupation at Piedras Negras is known from the Late Preclassic period onward, based on dates retrieved from epigraphic information found on multiple stelae and altars at the site. Piedras Negras is an archaeological site known for its large sculptural output when compared to other ancient Maya sites. The wealth of sculpture, in conjunction with the precise chronological information associated with the lives of elites of Piedras Negras, has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct the political history of the Piedras Negras polity and its geopolitical footprint.

Maya civilization Mesoamerican civilization

The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples, and noted for its logosyllabic script—the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. This region consists of the northern lowlands encompassing the Yucatán Peninsula, and the highlands of the Sierra Madre, running from the Mexican state of Chiapas, across southern Guatemala and onwards into El Salvador, and the southern lowlands of the Pacific littoral plain.

Contents

Biography

Lineage

Itzam K'an Ahk II, also known as Ruler 4, was born on November 18, 701 AD (9.13.9.14.15 7 Men 18 K'ank'in in the Long Count). [1] Of the three extant references to Itzam K'an Ahk's birth, not a single one mentions his line of descent, suggesting that Itzam K'an Ahk was not K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II's son. With this said, Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube note that in one carving, the ajaw is shown with a turtle-headdressed belt ornament, suggesting that one of Itzam K'an Ahk's ancestors had the word auk ("turtle") in their name, thereby signifying royalty. [2] Additionally, Stela 40 shows what could be Itzam K'an Ahk's mother in Teotihuacano garb, suggesting that Itzam K'an Ahk was emphasizing maternal connections to Teotihuacan. [1] [3] Martin and Grube also note that this stela was erected exactly 83 Tzolk'in, or about 59 years, following the death of Itzam K'an Ahk I (a former ajaw of Piedras Negras whose Itzam K'an Ahk II appropriated), which could suggest the existence of some "special link" between the two. [1]

Mesoamerican Long Count calendar non-repeating base-20 and base-18 calendar used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, including the Maya

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is a non-repeating, vigesimal (base-20) and base-18 calendar used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya. For this reason, it is often known as the MayaLong Count calendar. Using a modified vigesimal tally, the Long Count calendar identifies a day by counting the number of days passed since a mythical creation date that corresponds to August 11, 3114 BCE in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. The Long Count calendar was widely used on monuments.

Simon Martin is a British epigrapher, historian, writer and Mayanist scholar. He is best known for his contributions to the study and decipherment of the Maya script, the writing system used by the pre-Columbian Maya civilisation of Mesoamerica. As one of the leading epigraphers active in contemporary Mayanist research, Martin has specialised in the study of the political interactions and dynastic histories of Classic-era Maya polities. A former honorary research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, as of 2018 Martin holds a position at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology where he is an Associate Curator and Keeper in the American Section and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reign

Panel 3 from Piedras Negras, which shows--among other things--Itzam K'an Ahk II lecturing visiting dignitaries on the superiority of Piedras Negras. Despite depicting Itzam K'an Ahk II, the panel was erected by K'inich Yat Ahk II. Piedras-Negra-Panel-3.jpg
Panel 3 from Piedras Negras, which shows—among other things—Itzam K'an Ahk II lecturing visiting dignitaries on the superiority of Piedras Negras. Despite depicting Itzam K'an Ahk II, the panel was erected by K'inich Yat Ahk II.

Itzam K'an Ahk II ascended to power on November 9, 729 AD (9.14.18.3.13 7 Ben 16 K'ank'in). [1] In 749 AD, the ajaw celebrated his one K'atun, an event that was attended by many dignitaries, including a b'aah sajal ("first ruler") named K'an Mo' Te' who had served K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II. The events of this banquet were later recorded by the final ajaw of Piedras Negras, K'inich Yat Ahk II on Panel 3; this artifact shows Itzam K'an Ahk II lecturing the interim ruler of Yaxchilan, Yopaat Bahlam II, about Piedras Negras's local dominance. (This panel has lent support to the argument that during Itzam K'an Ahk II's rule, Piedras Negras had eclipsed Yaxchilan in power.) The K'atun celebration was followed by another event a few days later, at which Itzam K'an Ahk II "performed a 'descending macaw' dance" and then had a drink made from fermented cacao beans passed around to his guests. [4]

Yaxchilan human settlement

Yaxchilan is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedras Negras as its major rival. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms.

Itzam K'an Ahk II likely engaged in war, as a pyrite disc found in his tomb depicts the severed head of a leader from Hix Witz. [3] Houston et al. argue that Hix Witz was under Piedras Negras's control, largely based on the disk and because the Maya center is identified on Panel 7, erected earlier by Itzam K'an Ahk I, as a "tributary bearing plumes and textiles" to Piedras Negras. [5]

Pyrite sulfide mineral

The mineral pyrite (/ˈpaɪraɪt/), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula FeS2 (iron(II) disulfide). Pyrite is considered the most common of the sulfide minerals.

Pajaral

Pajaral, otherwise known as El Pajaral, is the modern name for a mid-sized ruined city of the pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located to the south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. The name El Pajaral was coined by archaeologist Ian Graham, who discovered the site in the 1970s, and refers to the numerous birds he encountered there during his survey.

Death

Itzam K'an Ahk II's reign was one marked by "hegemony over neighboring kingdoms". [6] The ruler died on November 26, 757 AD (9.16.6.11.17 7 Kaban 0 Pax) and was buried three days later. [1] [7] According to Panel 3, the burial took place at the mythical "'mountain' of ho janaab witz", which in this context referred to Pyramid O-13. [7] Itzam K'an Ahk II was succeeded by Yo'nal Ahk III on March 10, 758 AD. [8] Itzam K'an Ahk II's burial site was venerated by the succeeding kings of Piedras Negras, which has led some to hypothesize that Itzam K'an Ahk II produced a new ruling dynasty, and that the following three kings—Yo'nal Ahk III, Ha' K'in Xook, and K'inich Yat Ahk II—were his sons. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Hegemony form of government in which a leader state rules over a number of subordinate states

Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. In ancient Greece, hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of a city-state over other city-states. The dominant state is known as the hegemon.

Monuments

Stelae

Itzam K'an Ahk II erected at least five stelae: 9, 10, 11, 22, and 40, [12] of which Stelae 9, 10, and 11 were raised in front of or near Structure J-3. [13] Stela 11, constructed in August of 731 AD, is of the niche variety (meaning it depicts the ruler seated in a small hollow, or niche) and commemorates Itzam K'an Ahk II's ascension to power. [14] [15] This monument depicts the ajaw flanked by witnesses to the ceremonies explored on the stela itself. The expanse in front of the stone slab "designates the space ... as one of offering and supplication", given the depiction of human sacrifice near the monument's bottom. [14] [16] The monument was discovered by Teoberto Maler in two pieces on the ground; the front was well-preserved (even retaining some of its pigment), although the glyphs on the upper right were weathered. Sometime in the 1960s, looters broke up the fallen monument so they would have an easier time smuggling it out of the site. The top portion is currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), whereas the bottom half is in a private collection in Switzerland. [17]

Human sacrifice rite

Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans, usually as an offering to a deity, as part of a ritual. Human sacrifice has been practiced in various cultures throughout history. Victims were typically ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease gods, spirits or the deceased, for example, as a propitiatory offering or as a retainer sacrifice when a king's servants are killed in order for them to continue to serve their master in the next life. Closely related practices found in some tribal societies are cannibalism and headhunting.

Teoberto Maler German Mesoamericanist

Teobert Maler, later Teoberto was an explorer who devoted his energies to documenting the ruins of the Maya civilization.

Grave robbery, tomb robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal matter. It is usually perpetrated to take and profit from valuable artifacts or personal effects. A related act is body snatching, a term denoting the contested or unlawful taking of a body, which can be extended to the unlawful taking of organs alone. These acts carry two stigmas from the evolution of morality: selfishness and psychological trauma to which the behavioural immune system adds the stigma of disgust to those coming into contact with part-decayed, particularly human, bodies.

Stela 9 had long been broken into thirds when it was discovered in 1899 by Maler. While these fragments had eroded slightly, the base was later found in situ by the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum. In the 1960s, looters carted off parts of the monument, namely a portion depicting a captive. [18] Stela 10 is highly eroded, resulting in a loss of detail. [13] In addition to this decay, the head ornament has presumably been lost. [19] Stela 22 was dedicated on the East Group Plaza, located in front of Structure O-12, thereby "initiat[ing]" the East Group Plaza as a locus for sculpture and stelae. [20] While previous stelae had faced other directions, Stela 22 faced northwest towards the site's acropolis, creating "a new axis of dialogue across the site." [20]

Stela 40 contains the depiction of the aforementioned woman dressed in Teotihuacano garb; it shows Itzam K'an Ahk II dispersing something—hypothesized to be either blood or incense—into a "psychoduct" (that is, "a vent leading into a subplaza tomb"). [1] Simon and Grube argue that "the connection between the living and the dead is manifested [on this stela] as a 'knotted cord' or breath which travels down to enter the nose of the deceased". [1] The female on the stela, denoted only by an "upside down vase" glyph, is likely Itzam K'an Ahk II's mother; Pitts argues that the monument "offers an interesting vignette of Itzam K'an Ahk II and his loyalty to a female ancestor, probably his mother." [10] [21]

Pyramid O-13

There are substantial similarities between Pyramid O-13 and the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque (pictured), seeming to suggest a relationship between the two sites. Palenque temple 1.jpg
There are substantial similarities between Pyramid O-13 and the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque (pictured), seeming to suggest a relationship between the two sites.

Pyramid O-13 is the name given to the hypothesized mortuary temple of K'inich Yat Ahk II. [22] According to Stephen Houston et al., it was nearly "twice as large" as any of Piedras Negras's previous structures. [23] The pyramid was modified substantially following Itzam K'an Ahk II's demise: K'inich Yat Ahk II, for instance, reset the older Panel 2 and installed Panel 1 and the now-famous Panel 3. Megan O'Neil argues that these changes were made in order for the ruling ajaw to "engag[e] with the past". [24] Given that the last known rulers of Piedras Negras erected their stelae on or near this pyramid [24] and all three of these leaders also revered the site as some sort of dynastic shrine, it is possible that they were K'inich Yat Ahk II's sons. [7]

In 1997, Héctor Escobedo discovered a tomb (Burial 13) containing the bodies of an adult and two adolescents underneath the plaza floor at the front of the pyramid's frontal stairs. While some believe this to have been the resting place for Itzam K'an Ahk II, [7] Stephen D. Houston cautions that this has not been conclusively proven. [25] Among the artifacts found within (including pieces of jade and ornaments), archaeologists uncovered evidence that the tomb had been reentered after it was sealed: many bones were missing from the three bodies, and it appeared that the skeletons had been charred by fire sometime after their initial entombment. Scholars eventually concluded that this apparent desecration was actually part of a ritual described on Panel 3 called el naah umukil (the "house-burning at the burial"), and that it was carried out by K'inich Yat Ahk II. [7]

In terms of architecture, the O-13 Pyramid and the Late Classic Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque are very similar: both have the same number of substructure terraces, both pyramids' substructures have exactly five doors, and both were built into the sides of hills. Damien Marken and Kirk Straight, use this similarity—as well as inscriptions on stelae at Palenque—to argue that there existed some sort of relationship between Piedras Negras and Palenque. [26]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Martin & Grube (2000), p. 148.
  2. ↑ Martin & Grube (2000), p. 147.
  3. 1 2 Witschey & Brown (2012), p. 247.
  4. ↑ Martin & Grube (2000), p. 149.
  5. ↑ Zender, "Hix Witz", (n.d.).
  6. ↑ Fitzsimmons (2010), p. 154.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Martin & Grube 2000, p. 150.
  8. 1 2 Martin & Grube (2000), p. 151.
  9. ↑ Pitts (2011), pp. 157–168.
  10. 1 2 Martin & Grube 2000, 152–153.
  11. ↑ Sharer & Traxler (2006), p. 426.
  12. ↑ Zender, "Piedras Negras Ruler 4", (n.d.).
  13. 1 2 "Stela 10". Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  14. 1 2 O'Neil (2014), p. 72.
  15. ↑ Sharer & Traxler (2006), p. 427.
  16. ↑ O'Neil (2014), p. 76.
  17. ↑ "Stela 11". Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Stela 9". Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015.
  19. ↑ O'Neil (2014), p. 197.
  20. 1 2 O'Neil (2014), p. 136.
  21. ↑ Pitts (2011), p. 121.
  22. ↑ Zender, "Piedras Negras Ruler 7", (n.d.).
  23. ↑ Houston et al. (1998), pp. 40–56.
  24. 1 2 O'Neil (2014), p. 153.
  25. ↑ Houston et al. (1999), pp. 16–22.
  26. ↑ Marken & Straight (2007), p. 305.

Bibliography

Fitzsimmons, James (2010). Death and the Classic Maya Kings. University of Texas Press. ISBN   9780292781986. 
Houston, Stephan; et al. (1998). "Monumental Architecture at Piedras Negras, Guatemala: Time, History, and Meaning" (PDF). Mayab. 11: 40–56. 
Houston, Stephan; et al. (1999). "On the River of Ruins: Explorations at Piedras Negras, Guatemala". Mexicon. 20 (1): 16–22. 
Marken, Damien; Straight, Kirk (2007). Marken, Damien, ed. Palenque: Recent Investigations at the Classic Maya Center. Rowman Altamira. ISBN   9780759108752. 
Martin, Simon; Grube, Nikolai (2000). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens. Thames & Hudson. ISBN   9780500051030. 
O'Neil, Megan (2014). Engaging Ancient Maya Sculpture at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN   9780806188362. 
Pitts, Mark (2011). A Brief History of Piedras Negras as Told by the Ancient Maya: History Revealed in Maya Glyphs (PDF). Pre-Columbian Society of the University of Pennsylvania Museum . Retrieved March 2, 2014. 
Sharer, Robert; Traxler, Loa (2006). The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press. ISBN   9780804748179. 
Witschey, Walter Robert Thurmond; Brown, Clifford (2012). Historical Dictionary of Mesoamerica. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810871670. 
Zender, Marc (ed.). "Hix Witz". Mesoweb Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 6, 2014. 
Zender, Marc (ed.). "Piedras Negras Ruler 4". Mesoweb Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 6, 2014. 
Zender, Marc (ed.). "Piedras Negras Ruler 7". Mesoweb Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 6, 2014. 

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