"Substance of the Ancient Maya: Kingdoms and Communities, Objects and Beings," edited by Andrew K. Scherer and Thomas G. Garrison, collects twelve essays by top scholars that highlight what is new in research pertaining to the ancient Maya. Subjects range from updated political histories of major kingdoms in the southern Maya Lowlands to explorations of the nature of Maya writing and materiality. These essays were inspired by the scholarship of Stephen Houston and celebrate his transdisciplinary commitment to research in anthropological archaeology, epigraphy, and art history.

The contributions in this volume are organized into two sections that respectively reflect different scales from which to approach the substance of the ancient Maya—from hand-held objects to entire kingdoms. This dichotomy reflects the breadth of questions central to current research on the Maya. It also illustrates how certain themes, such as the relationship between the living and the realm of the supernatural, are fundamental to both thinking by and about the Maya at all scales. A diversity of methods is not only embodied by this assemblage of essays but is also spread equally across the two sections of the book, illustrating that archaeologists, epigraphers, geographers, and art historians can equally contribute to the substance of kingdoms and communities, as they can to objects and beings.

Collectively, these contributions show how the objects and beings that composed the Classic Maya world were both literal and sacred substances that mediated relations not only among living people but with gods and ancestors. A final chapter by Stephen Houston reflects on unfinished projects of the ancient Maya as a metaphor for all of the work yet to be done to move forward in our studies of the past.

Andrew K. Scherer is the director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and an associate professor of anthropology and archaeology at Brown University.

Thomas G. Garrison is an assistant professor of geography and the environment and the director of the Lidar and Landscapes of the Ancient Mediterranean and Americas (LLAMA) Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the lead editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of the Maya.

The November–December 2024 issue of Brown Alumni Magazine includes an article by Megan Talikoff ’25 on Kiosk, a field recording data management system developed by the Joukowsky Institute's Professor Laurel Bestock and Lutz Klein: "Digital Dig: Archaeology’s Free Field Recording Program—Alum-created and Brown-subsidized."

The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World is offering a free webinar on Friday, November 2, 2024 at 2:00pm. The webinar will provide an overview of the graduate application process by the faculty from Brown University’s doctoral program in Archaeology and the Ancient World. They will describe how they review applications to the Ph.D. program and will share what they look for in a promising application. They will discuss what constitutes a strong personal statement, who to ask for letters of recommendation, what courses to take to prepare yourself for graduate study in archaeology, and the range of careers that graduates of the program pursue. Panelists will also discuss Brown’s new supplemental essay on diversity and inclusion. The webinar seminar provides a rare insider’s view of the application process and graduate student life.

The webinar is intended for anyone considering applying to graduate school, including both applicants applying in the coming admission cycle as well as those considering applying in a future year. The webinar is open to all members of the public who might be considering a graduate education in archaeology, regardless of experience and academic background. We welcome participation from individuals of diverse backgrounds and experience, regardless of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, caste, disability, status as a veteran, language, socio-economic background, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political ideology, or theoretical approach.

For more on applying to our doctoral program, please see our FAQ’s at go.brown.edu/archFAQs.

PREREGISTRATION FOR THE WEBINAR IS REQUIRED

Joukowsky Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Zachary Silvia has written an article published in October 23, 2024's News and Views section of Nature about the significance of a newly discovered urban settlement located on a mountainous Uzbekistan site: "Surprisingly High-Altitude Silk Road City Revealed." Silvia explains that the study is remarkable in that it challenges previous notions of urbanism at high altitudes, as well as prompting a reimagining of the extensive scope of the Silk Road's trade routes. This project is also the first archaeological lidar survey conducted in Central Asia.

Silvia has been featured and interviewed about the discovery in the New York Times, CNN, Scientific American, Newsweek, and multiple other news outlets.