December 10, 2011 Robert Sharer, PhD: "Is the Past an
Accident? Second Thoughts about Some Past Maya Research"
Most scientists hold that random so called accidental events
played a crucial role in the evolution of our universe and in the
evolution of life on our planet. What role did random
accidents play in the evolution of past human societies like the
ancient Maya? This question was examined by taking a second
look at findings from some past Penn Museum archaeological research
in Guatemala.
Dr. Robert Sharer received his PhD in Anthropology from the
University of Pennsylvania. His archaeological research in El
Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras has examined the origins and
development of ancient Maya states. He is a member of the
Society for American Archaeology and has been elected a Fellow in
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of
Antiquaries of London. He has published final reports of
his archaeological research, and co-authored two archaeology
textbooks. He also co-edited Understanding Early Classic Copan in 2004 and
authored two editions of Daily
Life in Maya Civilization, in 1996, 2009 and three editions
of the standard sourcebook on Maya civilization, The Ancient Maya, the
most recent 2006 version with his wife and archaeological colleague,
Dr. Loa Traxler. A curator in the American Section of the Penn
Museum and a professor in the Penn Anthropology Department for 37
years, he retired in 2009 and now devotes his time to writing up the
results of his most recent archaeological research at Copan,
Honduras.
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