Patterns of variation and change in dynastic period ceramics and ceramic production at Copan, Honduras
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Description
The research described in this dissertation concerns the study of Classic period ceramic production at the site of Copan, Honduras, located on the southeast frontier of the Maya area. The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the organization of a local production industry and changes in sociopolitical and demographic conditions. Changes in the organization of ceramic production were measured in terms of the degree and kind of diversity within the ceramic assemblages dating to five subphases of the dynastic period The data indicate a steady increase in the number of pottery-producing units during the first half of the dynastic period (A.D. 400-600) competing for a growing market created by an expanding local population. The second half of the dynastic period is marked by accelerated population growth and the increasing development of a subroyal elite population at Copan. The diversity in utilitarian ceramic products declined throughout this period in conjunction with an increasing trend toward product specialization (the manufacture of specific classes of goods by different production units). The increase in the diversity of fine wares at the beginning of the second half of the dynastic period (A.D. 600-700) reflects a growing number of pottery-making units manufacturing goods for a rapidly expanding elite market. During the period surrounding the decline and collapse of the Copan dynasty (A.D. 800-900), there was a sharp reduction in the manufacture of fine wares, including the discontinuation of certain classes of vessels and a decline in the quality of those that continued to be produced The primary forces affecting the organization of ceramic production at Copan were demographic conditions and the effects of these on the size and configuration of the demand market for ceramic vessels. Aside from the initiation of a local 'Maya-style' ceramic tradition at the beginning of the dynastic period, the effects of sociopolitical developments on the ceramic industry at Copan were minimal. Their only direct affect appears to have involved the growth (and later decline) of an elite market for certain classes of vessels. Ceramic production and distribution at Copan appear to have been outside of the active involvement of a central elite agency