How do we know?

Archaeologists learn about ancient societies through excavations and analysis of artifacts. An item can offer much more information if archaeologists know where it was found and in what context. The Maya serving vessels provide much less information if it isn’t known what site they came from or what context they were in within that site. The Harvard Copan Project in the 1890s was one of the first archaeological projects to work on Maya cities. Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography has an online exhibit which provides information about the actual excavation process. It can be found here.

Bibliography

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University of Washington. https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/museums/mik/miksamarra.html Accessed May 01, 2016. 

Aramco World Magaine. http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/197404/the.potters.of.islam.htm Accessed May 01, 2016. 

The Ashmolean Museum. http://islamicceramics.ashmolean.org/Abbasid/pottery.htm Accessed May 01, 2016. 

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Peabody.harvard.edu. “The Archaeological Expedition Online Exhibit.” Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. 2015. 

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