13 Comparative Landscape Analysis: Contrasting the Middle East and Maya Regions

Abstract

The Maya Lowlands and the Middle East occupy two contrasting latitudinal zones of ancient settlement, the former comprising part of the semi-tropical belt of low-density urbanism whereas in the Middle East dense nucleated settlement has predominated. Building upon the foundation lain down by Robert McC. Adams and published in 1966, but primarily drawing upon new evidence from archaeological landscape surveys, this paper explores the commonalities and contrasts between these two landscapes. Emphasis is placed upon settlement and landscape dynamics, specifically those features that contribute to our understanding of settlement sustainability or fragility. In addition, the different responses of large and small sites to both internal and external stresses are examined with particular reference to models of collapse and resilience. This paper selectively draws upon evidence from case studies from each geographical zone. These include those previously presented from the Maya region together with case studies drawn from the large data base available from Durham University's Fragile Crescent Project. Key features of settlement landscape dynamics include: agricultural intensification, polity size, transport networks, and patterns of exchange. In addition, reference is made to settlement landscapes in the sub-humid and semi-arid Yemen highlands which occupy a latitudinal zone equivalent to the Yucatan Peninsula and which show some characteristics of low density urbanism. [Middle East, Maya, landscape archaeology, collapse, sustainability, resilience]

Urbanism and Anthropogenic Landscapes

“…Smith 2012, M.L. Smith 2014, and, with the use of remote-sensing data, we can now demonstrate that ancient cities could take different forms, to some degree being dependent on the kinds of environments and landscapes in which they developed , Chase & Scarborough 2014, Wilkinson 2014, Wilkinson et al 2010. The application of remote-sensing technologies to tropical areas has particularly highlighted the extensive nature of a form of urbanism that was originally labeled "low-density agricultural urbanism" (Fletcher 1995(Fletcher , 2009.…”

Households, Growth, Contraction, and Mobility at the Classic Maya Center of Naachtun

“…Even defining the absolute limits of many Maya cities remains problematic considering the extended nature of lowland urban landscapes (Fletcher 2009:12;Wilkinson 2014). This raises the issue of the definitional breadth of urban form.…”

“…Although a consensus had been building for years (e.g., Arnauld 2008;Arnauld and Michelet 2004;Chase and Chase 1998;Graham 1999;Roland Fletcher 2009), defining low-density agrarian urbanism as a comparative type marked a turning point in scholarly opinion regarding the urbanity of Classic Maya society. This urban type, formally labeled "tropical low-density, agrarian-based urbanism," highlights specificities of precisely the rural/urban link across the tropical belt, even though its parameters appear oversimplified for the needs of a worldwide comparison (Fletcher 2012; Isendahl and Smith 2013;Lucero et al 2015;Marken, Ricker et al 2019; see comments by Wilkinson 2014). The timing of Fletcher's publication coincided with the expanding acceptance of functional definitions of urbanism and the introduction of lidar surveys in the Maya area (e.g., Chase et al 2011).…”

Shaping an Agrarian Maya Town: Settlement Pattern and Land-Use Dynamics at Naachtun

“…Even defining the absolute limits of many Maya cities remains problematic considering the extended nature of lowland urban landscapes (Fletcher 2009:12;Wilkinson 2014). This raises the issue of the definitional breadth of urban form.…”

“…Although a consensus had been building for years (e.g., Arnauld 2008;Arnauld and Michelet 2004;Chase and Chase 1998;Graham 1999;Roland Fletcher 2009), defining low-density agrarian urbanism as a comparative type marked a turning point in scholarly opinion regarding the urbanity of Classic Maya society. This urban type, formally labeled "tropical low-density, agrarian-based urbanism," highlights specificities of precisely the rural/urban link across the tropical belt, even though its parameters appear oversimplified for the needs of a worldwide comparison (Fletcher 2012; Isendahl and Smith 2013;Lucero et al 2015;Marken, Ricker et al 2019; see comments by Wilkinson 2014). The timing of Fletcher's publication coincided with the expanding acceptance of functional definitions of urbanism and the introduction of lidar surveys in the Maya area (e.g., Chase et al 2011).…”