As the Maya civilisation began to break down during the ninth century CE , a corner of the realm became drag in in a dramatic revolution . astounding evidence for this political upheaval has now been discover in an ancient pyramid in Guatemala , where research worker have found the burnt remains ofMaya royal house , hinting at a fiery public presentation of authorities change .
While excavate the anatomical structure at the pre - Columbian city of Ucanal - the capital letter of the ancient K’anwitznal land - archeologist came across the charred remains of at least two people accompanied by the kinds of too-generous items typically bump in royal Maya tomb . Among the object regain alongside the scorch individuals was agreenstone mask- a revealing sign that the at rest were once rulers of K’anwitznal .
Radiocarbon dating revealed that the burn occurred between 773 and 881 CE and that the dupe had been dead for some time before their incineration . This , in turn , suggest that their original tombs had been reopen with the specific aim of burning theirdead royal asses .
Fragments of a jade mask with an obsidian eye, found alongside the burnt royal remains.Image credit: C. Halperin
Interpreting the discovery in a raw study , the researchers reveal that this sacrilege coincided with the emergence of a new political regime in K’anwitznal , direct by a ruler called Papmalil who supervise major structural alteration within Maya high society . Describing his growth as a “ radical pin point ” , the survey source distinguish how Papmalil did away with the societal power structure , usher in a new era of egalitarianism in which “ distinctions between elect and non - elite family [ were ] greatly diminish . ”
Comparing this shift to the French Revolution , the investigator say that the ceremonial electrocution of former rulers served a similar purpose to the storming of the Bastille , in that it bring home the bacon a emblematic moment of political shift .
“ The fire - burn event of the entombment repository was likely a dramatic public affair , ” explain report source Dr Christina T. Halperin in a statement . “ Because the fire - burning outcome itself had the potential to be extremely ceremonial , public and charged with emotion , it could dramatically mark the disassembly of an ancient government . ”
“ The fire - burning event itself and the reign of Papmalil helped usher in new forms of monumental imagery that emphasised horizontal political ties and underlying changes in the social social system of beau monde , ” said Halperin . “ In this sense , it was not just an end of an earned run average , but a pivot point around which the K’anwitznal polity , and the Maya of the southerly Lowlands in general , transformed themselves afresh . ”
The study is publish in the journalAntiquity .
