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The Adorned Body

Mapping Ancient Maya Dress

Nicholas Carter editor Stephen D Houston editor Franco D Rossi editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of Texas Press

Published:1st Sep '20

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Adorned Body cover

How we dress our bodies—through clothing, footwear, headgear, jewelry, haircuts, and more—is key to the expression of status and identity. This idea was as true for ancient Maya civilization as it is today, yet few studies have centered on what ancient Maya peoples wore and why. In The Adorned Body, Nicholas Carter, Stephen Houston, and Franco Rossi bring together contributions from a wide range of scholars, leading to the first in-depth study of Maya dress in pre-Columbian times.

Incorporating artistic, hieroglyphic, and archaeological sources, this book explores the clothing and ornaments of ancient Maya peoples, systematically examining who wore what, deducing the varied purposes and meanings of dress items and larger ensembles, and determining the methods and materials with which such items were created. Each essay investigates a category of dress—including headgear, pendants and necklaces, body painting, footwear, and facial ornaments—and considers the variations within each of these categories, as well as popular styles and trends through time. The final chapters reveal broader views and comparisons about costume ensembles and their social roles. Shedding new light on the art and archaeology of the ancient Americas, The Adorned Body offers a thorough map of Maya dress that will be of interest to scholars and fashion enthusiasts alike.

The contributors [to The Adorned Body]...quite compellingly explore the objectives and reception of specific symbolism, especially in public ceremonies and processions. The authors draw on a rich corpus of basic data, including hundreds of richly painted ceramics and abundant frescoes painted on white plastered walls in temples, palaces, and other venues...The chapters are well illustrated, and fortunately there is a section of color illustrations in the center of the book...Recommended. * CHOICE *

A highly welcomed volume…[The Adorned Body] addresses the yet under-investigated topic of ancient Maya dress conception and features...the eleven chapters written by different authors provide ample documentation of iconography, epigraphy, and materiality concerning Maya output of dresses and adorned bodies.

* Anthropos *
The Adorned Body provides a complete and exhaustive survey on dress and fashion among the ancient Maya...This book represents a brief and clear but comprehensive review on ancient Maya clothing. It will be of interest as a first approach to this subject or as a useful support for scholars who need to widen or develop their knowledge on the topic, thanks to the richness of references given about others’ works...The book also provides a whole perception of the human body in Mesoamerican civilization. * Journal of Dress History *

ISBN: 9781477320709

Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 36mm

Weight: 966g

248 pages