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Early Mayan Copper Vessel

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:450.00 - 900.00 USD
Early Mayan Copper Vessel
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For your consideration is an early Mayan copper vessel container. The Mayan civilization was noted for it’s sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian America's as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. This region consists of the northern lowlands encompassing the Yucatán Peninsula, and the highlands of the Sierra Madre, running from the Mexican state of Chiapas, across southern Guatemala and onwards into El Salvador, and the southern lowlands of the Pacific littoral plain. Rule was centred on the concept of the "divine king", who acted as a mediator between mortals and the supernatural realm. Kingship was patrilineal, and power would normally pass to the eldest son. A prospective king was also expected to be a successful war leader. Maya politics was dominated by a closed system of patronage, although the exact political make-up of a kingdom varied from city-state to city-state. This early Mayan container features hand carved hieroglyphs as well as varying designs. The container shows a green oxidation which attributes to the early age of the artifact. The base is not fixed to the container. This piece measures 12 ¼” x 7 3/8” x 5 ½”.