Papers by Olivia Navarro-Farr
Ancient Mesoamerica, 2024
Classic Maya history was rife with shifting political coalitions and disputes with the key antago... more Classic Maya history was rife with shifting political coalitions and disputes with the key antagonists, Tikal and the Kaan regime, at the center. Understanding how power dynamics and political shifts were experienced among subordinate polities is best viewed from multiple perspectives. We employ elements of Graeber and Sahlins' (2017) stranger-king model, focusing on exogamous marriage practices in relation to two Snake Queens ruling at Waka'. They served as direct links between the Kaan regime and the subordinate Wak polity. We focus on the political and diplomatic nature of their roles in crafting Waka's place in the overarching narratives of alliance and conquest during the sixth through the early part of the eighth centuries. The pairing of archaeological and textual data surrounding Ix Ikoom in the sixth century and Lady K'abel during the seventh century permit interrogation of women's prominence with respect to Kaan regime-building strategies during these centuries. Resumen La historia de los Maya del periodo Clásico es un tapiz complejo de coaliciones y disputas en lo cual los antagonistas incluyeron los super poderes de Tikal y el régimen de Kaan. En el entendimiento de las dinámicas de poder y como los turnos políticos afectaron a las ciudades subordinadas, argumentamos que es importante considerar estos turnos desde múltiples perspectivas. Empleamos elementos del modelo Rey-extranjero desarrollado por Graeber y Sahlins (2017), enfocando en particular en las prácticas de matrimonios exógamos con relación a dos reinas de la serpiente que gobernaron en Waka' en distintas generaciones. Enfocamos en sus papeles políticos y diplomáticos en la elaboración del rol de Waka' en las narrativas de alianza y conquista durante el sexto siglo hasta la parte temprana del octavo. Los registros tanto arqueológicos como epigráficos que hablan de estas reinas en Waka' se complementan en sus amplios detalles sobre ellas, Ix Ikoom en el sexto siglo y la Señora K'abel primariamente durante el séptimo siglo. Los datos proveen una oportunidad invaluable para interrogar la prominencia de las mujeres reales con respecto a las estrategias de Kaan para crear y ampliar su régimen durante estos siglos.
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The 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2019
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The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2015
Tomb 1, Tomb of the Goblets, was excavated during the 1967 season of the Wooster Expedition to Pe... more Tomb 1, Tomb of the Goblets, was excavated during the 1967 season of the Wooster Expedition to Pella. Containing a diverse array of 133 artifacts, some of which are imported, and evidence of multiple interments, prompted further investigation of the tomb. The date supplied in the original publication is 1550 BCE, lies in the transition of the Middle to Late Bronze Age. Exploring the origins of chronology in the region and following the multiple scholars who debate the relative and absolute chronology exposed the difficulty in assigning a period to this tomb. In pursuit of updating the chronological placement of Tomb 1, I cross-referenced the ceramic forms with other sites throughout the Levant in to attempt date the tomb based on ceramic chronology. The analysis of the specific artifacts from the Tomb 1 assemblage indicate the onset of Egyptian dominance of Pella, known as beginning in the Late Bronze period at Pella. Tomb 1 presents an abundance of evidence leading to a complex interpretation in terms of chronological and mortuary significance both as a singular tomb and within the larger regional context
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The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2016
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The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2015
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The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2018
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This thesis focuses on a cross-cultural examination of the processes of beer making and the links... more This thesis focuses on a cross-cultural examination of the processes of beer making and the links between social status, gender, and scale within beer production and usage. The three unique ancient cultures examined are: The Celts at Hochdorf in Southwest Germany, the predynastic Egyptians at Hierakonpolis, and the Wari at Cerro Baúl in Perú. Together, these constitute rather diverse contexts for ancient brewing processes which enhance our understanding of the complexities of the production and consumption of fermenting beverages in antiquity. Additionally, I discuss the the ways in which the process of brewing beer can be teased out of the archaeological record by using macrobotanical flotation, residue analyses via mass spectrometry, ethnoarchaeological research, and experimental archaeology to name a few methods. To conduct this research, I employ a variety of existing studies deriving from archaeological and ethnoarchaeological data on beer brewing from each of these contexts
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Tomb 1, Tomb of the Goblets, was excavated during the 1967 season of the Wooster Expedition to Pe... more Tomb 1, Tomb of the Goblets, was excavated during the 1967 season of the Wooster Expedition to Pella. Containing a diverse array of 133 artifacts, some of which are imported, and evidence of multiple interments, prompted further investigation of the tomb. The date supplied in the original publication is 1550 BCE, lies in the transition of the Middle to Late Bronze Age. Exploring the origins of chronology in the region and following the multiple scholars who debate the relative and absolute chronology exposed the difficulty in assigning a period to this tomb. In pursuit of updating the chronological placement of Tomb 1, I cross-referenced the ceramic forms with other sites throughout the Levant in to attempt date the tomb based on ceramic chronology. The analysis of the specific artifacts from the Tomb 1 assemblage indicate the onset of Egyptian dominance of Pella, known as beginning in the Late Bronze period at Pella. Tomb 1 presents an abundance of evidence leading to a complex interpretation in terms of chronological and mortuary significance both as a singular tomb and within the larger regional context
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Ancient Mesoamerica, Sep 13, 2023
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In 2012, Dr. Olivia Navarro-Farr and her team uncovered the tomb of a Maya ruler in a large cerem... more In 2012, Dr. Olivia Navarro-Farr and her team uncovered the tomb of a Maya ruler in a large ceremonial structure at the site of El Perú-Waka’ in the Petén region of Guatemala. Specialists, subsequently, identified these remains as those of Lady K’abel, a queen already well known from texts associated with the ancient city. This study will explore one of the artifacts found in the tomb, called the War Serpent Vessel, found at the Kaloompte’s feet. I will propose that the iconographic depcitions on this artifact represent a supernatural Serpent that emerges from this vessel. I suggest that this vessel acted as a cave through which this Serpent would have emerged during ritual activities. Its position at the feet of the interred emphasizes its interpretation as a metaphorical cave that emerges from the sacred mountain, on which rulers often stand in royal portraiture, as seen in Waka’ Stela 34
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Papers by Olivia Navarro-Farr
By David R. McCormick, Zachary X. Hruby, Olivia Navarro-Farr, Michelle Rich, Keith Eppich
Obsidian blades and related debitage from four tombs recently excavated at El Peru-Waka have the potential to answer the question of why and how the ancient Maya placed this material above, around, and sometimes within the burial chambers of the Classic Maya elite. We explore how this debitage may have been considered a ceremonial class of lithic rather than what archaeologists might typically consider nothing more than manufacturing waste. Special attention is paid to the detailed technological analyses of obsidians from four distinct tomb contexts; the first analysis of its kind.