The Divine Rite of Kings: An Analysis of Classic Maya Impersonation Statements

Julie Nehammer Knub, Simone Thun, Christophe Helmke

Abstract

Impersonation rituals were undoubtedly one of the most important rites of divine Maya kingship in the Classic period. While such rituals are attested in both the iconographic and epigraphic corpus of the Classic Maya, our focus here is on the latter. In their most common form these expressions are rendered hieroglyphically as u-B'AH-hi-li-AN-nu, though a variety of abbreviations and associated spellings have been documented. While the phonetics of these impersonation statements are relatively clear, the semantic dimension remains somewhat opaque. In order to refine our understanding we have conducted an extensive review of the hieroglyphic corpus so as to obtain a comprehensive sample of impersonation expressions. This research has subjected the sample to a series of quantitative and qualitative analyses. The most promising results of this research are presented in this article. The salient trends of impersonation statements are reviewed in light of their temporal distribution, diachronic spelling, the deities involved and associated imagery, the timing of these rituals and concurrent events, as well as the gender of the agents.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TitelThe Maya and their Sacred Narratives : Text and Context in Maya Mythologies
RedaktørerGeneviève Le Fort, Raphaël Gardiol, Sebastian Matteo, Christophe Helmke
Antal sider19
UdgivelsesstedMarkt Schwaben
ForlagVerlag Anton Saurwein
Publikationsdato2009
Sider177-195
StatusUdgivet - 2009
NavnActa Mesoamericana
Vol/bind20

Fingeraftryk

Dyk ned i forskningsemnerne om 'The Divine Rite of Kings: An Analysis of Classic Maya Impersonation Statements'. Sammen danner de et unikt fingeraftryk.

Citationsformater