Videos by Luke Auld-Thomas
Paper presented at the 2022 SAA meetings in a symposium organized by Carlos Morales Aguilar and F... more Paper presented at the 2022 SAA meetings in a symposium organized by Carlos Morales Aguilar and Felix Kupprat dealing with the Late Preclassic-to-Early Classic transition in the Central Maya Lowlands. Co-authored with Marcello A. Canuto and Ernesto Arredondo Leiva. 5 views
Journal Articles by Luke Auld-Thomas
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2021
Settlement research in the Maya lowlands has struggled to reconcile its goals to model a tropical... more Settlement research in the Maya lowlands has struggled to reconcile its goals to model a tropical forest civilization in ecological terms with the logistical constraints imposed by the forest itself. In this paper, we argue that the methodological challenges facing settlement research in this tropical lowland setting limited researchers’ confidence in the representativeness of their data, nudging the discipline toward community-scale analysis and away from quantitative macro-scale settlement pattern research. As a result, many basic facts of human geography have remained unsettled. These challenges can now be overcome thanks to advances in remote sensing. Here, we use lidar derived settlement and topographic data from the Corona-Achiotal region of northwestern Guatemala to develop a settlement suitability model that reveals patterns in the distribution of archaeological remains vis-à-vis landforms. Applying this model to a much larger published settlement dataset, we demonstrate how it is not only widely applicable in the interior Maya Lowlands, but also capable of identifying historical contingencies in the distribution of settlement, namely the crowding of less-suitable areas of the landscape, linked to urban densification.
Lowland Maya civilization flourished in the tropical region of the Yucatan peninsula and environs... more Lowland Maya civilization flourished in the tropical region of the Yucatan peninsula and environs for more than 2500 years (~1000 BCE to 1500 CE). Known for its sophistication in writing, art, architecture, astronomy, and mathematics, Maya civilization still poses questions about the nature of its cities and surrounding populations because of its location in an inaccessible forest. In 2016, an aerial lidar survey across 2144 square kilometers of northern Guatemala mapped natural terrain and archaeological features over several distinct areas. We present results from these data, revealing interconnected urban settlement and landscapes with extensive infrastructural development. Studied through a joint international effort of interdisciplinary teams sharing protocols, this lidar survey compels a reevaluation of Maya demography, agriculture, and political economy and suggests future avenues of field research.
Science, 2018
Lowland Maya civilization flourished in the tropical region of the Yucatan peninsula and environs... more Lowland Maya civilization flourished in the tropical region of the Yucatan peninsula and environs for more than 2500 years (~1000 BCE to 1500 CE). Known for its sophistication in writing, art, architecture, astronomy, and mathematics, Maya civilization still poses questions about the nature of its cities and surrounding populations because of its location in an inaccessible forest. In 2016, an aerial lidar survey across 2144 square kilometers of northern Guatemala mapped natural terrain and archaeological features over several distinct areas. We present results from these data, revealing interconnected urban settlement and landscapes with extensive infrastructural development. Studied through a joint international effort of interdisciplinary teams sharing protocols, this lidar survey compels a reevaluation of Maya demography, agriculture, and political economy and suggests future avenues of field research.
Book Chapters by Luke Auld-Thomas
Teotihuacan, The World Beyond the City, 2020
Teotihuacan: The World Beyond the City, 2020
Conference proceedings by Luke Auld-Thomas
XXX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2016, 2017
This paper presents the results of investigations at the site of La Cariba since the 2012 season ... more This paper presents the results of investigations at the site of La Cariba since the 2012 season and the site of El Achiotal since the 2009 field season. Together, these investigations reduce the gap in our knowledge
of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017, 2018
Recent excavations conducted during the period 2010-2017 at the archaeological site known as El A... more Recent excavations conducted during the period 2010-2017 at the archaeological site known as El Achiotal, has exposed the shifting process occurred at the religious and political institutions at the Maya Lowlands during the transition from the Late Preclassic period to the Early Classic. El Achiotal is located at the top of a small plateau, near the San Pedro River watershed, at the southern border of El Mirador Region.
During the Late Preclassic (300 B.C. - 250 A.D.) local architecture is clearly related to the regional ideological and political conventions that, during the following Early Classic period (250 - 550 A.D.), will show
a shift towards a more centralized power adopted by rulers. Therefore, the previous cult focused on sacred bundles will move towards the image of the Ajaw. Later political arenas, will include El Achiotal in the
events associated to “La Entrada”, and its main character: Sijay K’ahl’; to finally decline in front of the dramatic dynastic events and changing geopolitical alliances that occurred during the Late Classic period
(550 - 900 A.D.).
XXIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2015, 2016
Esta ponencia presenta los resultados de investigaciones en el sitio de La Cariba desde la tempor... more Esta ponencia presenta los resultados de investigaciones en el sitio de La Cariba desde la temporada 2012 y en el sitio de El Achiotal desde la temporada 2009. Juntos, estas investigaciones reducen la brecha en nuestro conocimiento de los períodos Preclásico Tardío y Clásico Temprano en la región del noroeste de Petén. En La Cariba y El Achiotal, excavaciones han revelado sitios monumentales durante el Preclásico Tardío, con ocupaciones largas, donde la gente modificaba el paisaje con mucha labor. Los espacios arquitectónicos en ambos sitios parecen representar variaciones en la conceptualización o la operación del poder durante esta época. Durante el Clásico Temprano, mientras que los sistemas políticos estaban cambiando, La Cariba fue abandonado mientras El Achiotal fue incorporado en una nueva red política que estaba extendiendo a través del Petén.
This paper presents the results of investigations at the site of La Cariba since the 2012 season and the site of El Achiotal since the 2009 field season. Together, these investigations reduce the gap in our knowledge of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
Technical Reports by Luke Auld-Thomas
Workshops by Luke Auld-Thomas
Introductory hieroglyph workshop presented at the 2016 Tulane Maya Symposium, Tulane University, ... more Introductory hieroglyph workshop presented at the 2016 Tulane Maya Symposium, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Introductory hieroglyph workshop presented at the 2017 Tulane Maya Symposium, Tulane University, ... more Introductory hieroglyph workshop presented at the 2017 Tulane Maya Symposium, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Teaching Documents by Luke Auld-Thomas
This course offers an outline of human prehistory from the origins of humanity through the develo... more This course offers an outline of human prehistory from the origins of humanity through the development of cities, states, and empires. Students will learn about the prehistory of various world regions, as well as the methods and theoretical tools that archaeologists use to reconstruct the human past. Major themes of the course will include the spread of modern humans out of Africa and around the globe, the origins and spread of agriculture, and the development of complex societies and civilizations across multiple world areas.
Humans have colonized, transformed, and been transformed by every environment on Earth. How did t... more Humans have colonized, transformed, and been transformed by every environment on Earth. How did this come to be? And how do scientists-archaeologists, climatologists, geographers, and others-know how ancient peoples interacted with the rest of the natural world? This course will examine not only how people have adapted to the world around them, but how through time they have both deliberately and accidentally adapted the world to themselves. The first section of the course will consider the methods that archaeologists and scientists in related disciplines use to reconstruct past environments and humans' place within them. We will then examine how these methods have been used, often in conjunction, to understand various aspects of the human past, from the extinction of megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene to the development of agriculture and the impact of climate on cultural evolution. Finally, we will consider the concept of the Anthropocene, issues of societal collapse and resilience in the face of environmental change, and the implications of archaeological data for contemporary environmental debates.
Course Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will understand (1) the methods archaeologists and environmental scientists use to reconstruct the past; (2) the theoretical frameworks and organizing concepts that scientists have developed to explain and make sense of the material record; and (3) what those methods tell us about how humans have adapted to, exploited, and transformed a wide range of environments. Ultimately, students will comprehend not only what we know about how climate, societies, and landscapes evolve in tandem, but how we know it and why this knowledge matters as we look to a warmer future on a more crowded planet.
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Videos by Luke Auld-Thomas
Journal Articles by Luke Auld-Thomas
Book Chapters by Luke Auld-Thomas
Conference proceedings by Luke Auld-Thomas
of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
During the Late Preclassic (300 B.C. - 250 A.D.) local architecture is clearly related to the regional ideological and political conventions that, during the following Early Classic period (250 - 550 A.D.), will show
a shift towards a more centralized power adopted by rulers. Therefore, the previous cult focused on sacred bundles will move towards the image of the Ajaw. Later political arenas, will include El Achiotal in the
events associated to “La Entrada”, and its main character: Sijay K’ahl’; to finally decline in front of the dramatic dynastic events and changing geopolitical alliances that occurred during the Late Classic period
(550 - 900 A.D.).
This paper presents the results of investigations at the site of La Cariba since the 2012 season and the site of El Achiotal since the 2009 field season. Together, these investigations reduce the gap in our knowledge of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
Technical Reports by Luke Auld-Thomas
Workshops by Luke Auld-Thomas
Teaching Documents by Luke Auld-Thomas
Course Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will understand (1) the methods archaeologists and environmental scientists use to reconstruct the past; (2) the theoretical frameworks and organizing concepts that scientists have developed to explain and make sense of the material record; and (3) what those methods tell us about how humans have adapted to, exploited, and transformed a wide range of environments. Ultimately, students will comprehend not only what we know about how climate, societies, and landscapes evolve in tandem, but how we know it and why this knowledge matters as we look to a warmer future on a more crowded planet.
of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
During the Late Preclassic (300 B.C. - 250 A.D.) local architecture is clearly related to the regional ideological and political conventions that, during the following Early Classic period (250 - 550 A.D.), will show
a shift towards a more centralized power adopted by rulers. Therefore, the previous cult focused on sacred bundles will move towards the image of the Ajaw. Later political arenas, will include El Achiotal in the
events associated to “La Entrada”, and its main character: Sijay K’ahl’; to finally decline in front of the dramatic dynastic events and changing geopolitical alliances that occurred during the Late Classic period
(550 - 900 A.D.).
This paper presents the results of investigations at the site of La Cariba since the 2012 season and the site of El Achiotal since the 2009 field season. Together, these investigations reduce the gap in our knowledge of the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northwest Petén. In La Cariba and El Achiotal, excavations have revealed monumental sites during the Late Preclassic with long-term occupations, where people modified the landscape with substantial labor. The architectonic spaces in both sites seem to represent variations on the conceptualization and operation of power during this time period. During the Early Classic, while political systems were changing, La Cariba was abandoned while El Achiotal was incorporated into a new political network that was extending across the Petén.
Course Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will understand (1) the methods archaeologists and environmental scientists use to reconstruct the past; (2) the theoretical frameworks and organizing concepts that scientists have developed to explain and make sense of the material record; and (3) what those methods tell us about how humans have adapted to, exploited, and transformed a wide range of environments. Ultimately, students will comprehend not only what we know about how climate, societies, and landscapes evolve in tandem, but how we know it and why this knowledge matters as we look to a warmer future on a more crowded planet.
The RRIM has become popular both because it is extremely effective for visualizing and interpreting archaeological landscapes, and because it looks cool—and that’s a not-inconsequential consideration for somebody who’s going to spend 1,000 hours pouring over archaeological terrain visualizations. However, they do have a couple of drawbacks: they require some tinkering for each implementation, both to suppress noise in the computation of the openness rasters and to establish an appropriate upper limit to the slope gradient (i.e., deciding how steep is steep enough to be vivid red). A further complicating factor is that the original RRIM is patented, and while it is unclear exactly what that might mean in legal terms, it’s enough to scare some people off from trying it out.
In 2017, I developed my own take on a red relief visualization that draws explicit inspiration from Chiba et al’s original RRIM, but which uses a different “recipe”—avoiding any issues with the patent and producing a visualization that is comparable in most respects, with some of its own advantages and disadvantages. I call this visualization Simple Red Relief, because it uses a Simple Local Relief Model (SLRM) in lieu of an openness raster, and this is the visualization that made the rounds in association with Canuto et al’s (2018) paper in Science, and again last year with Inomata et al’s (Inomata et al., 2021) paper on early ceremonial complexes in Nature Human Behaviour.