Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology by Timothy Darvill Page B
Authors: Timothy Darvill
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red-deer antler are also known. Azilian communities also had small schist pebbles covered in red dots or stripes. Of unknown purpose, such objects are also found amongst the material culture of communities further east in Italy and Switzerland.
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azimuth [Ge].
A compass bearing taken from true north. An azimuth of 90 degrees is due east, 180 degrees due south, etc.
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Aztec [CP].
The dominant polity of the late Post-Classic period in the densely populated Basin of Mexico, which came to control large areas of Mesoamerica north of the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
The origins of the Aztecs are bound up in the population movements of Toltec refugees and Chichimec immigrants settling in the Basin of Mexico around 1000 ad, each establishing itself as a tiny state whose ruling dynasties claimed descent from the Toltecs and adopted Toltec ideologies and divinely authorized kingship.
The Aztecs, also known as the Tenochca or Mexica, were the last Chichimec tribe to arrive, possibly forced to leave their home at Aztlan by drought or over-population. There was little available land for occupation and the Aztecs lived a peripatetic existence, periodically being moved on by one state after another appalled by their savage ways and liking for human sacrifice. Eventually, they settled on some uninhabited swampy islands near the western shore of Lake Texcoco where, according to legend, they saw a sign previously prophesied as indicating the site for their capital: an eagle with a snake in its beak sitting on a cactus. The twin Aztec towns of Tenochtitlán and Tlatelolco were founded in ad 1325 or ad 1345.
In ad 1367 the Aztecs started serving as mercenaries for the ruler of the Tepanec city-state of Azcapotzalco, then in competition with the rulers of Texcoco for recognition as paramount lords of new Chichimec states. Through a series of alliances and rebellions the Aztec cities grew larger and more wealthy, with the Aztecs themselves gradually accruing more and more power. In 1434 the rulers of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán formed the so-called Triple Alliance with the rulers of Texcoco and Tlacopan. All the other small states in the Basin became tribute-paying vassals of the Alliance. By 1500 the Triple Alliance controlled an area of 200000 square kilometres and a population of perhaps 10 million. Aztec domination of the Alliance came in 1502.
The Aztecs invested much time and effort into the construction of their cities and the agricultural systems round about. The centre of Tenochtitlán was a sacred precinct dominated by a 60m high pyramid on which stood the temples of Tlaloc the rain god and Huitzilopochtli the war god. The precinct also included the priest's residence, a large ball court, and a tzompantli on which the skulls of many thousands of sacrificed victims were displayed. Surrounding the precinct were the palaces of Tenochtitlán's rulers, two major market-places, and, beyond these, the houses of the town's inhabitants.
Agriculture was intensive and heavily dependent on water control systems established in the Basin of Mexico by the Teotihuacan state. These water control systems were crucial both for irrigation and the draining of lakes. The Aztecs also made use of floating gardens by dredging lakes and piling the silt up to form raised surfaces.
Aztec society was stratified into three main classes: nobles ( pilli ), who were relatives of the king; commoners ( macehuales ), who belonged by birth to one of twenty clans; and displaced and conquered people ( mayeques ), who worked as tenants. Craftsmanship was important and Aztec artists excelled in stone sculpture. Other nations, particularly the Mixtec of Oaxaca were engaged to make featherwork, polychrome ceramics, superb gold jewellery, and intricate mosaics.
The Aztec state was a militaristic regime, constantly at war in order to conquer other states and force them to pay tribute, and as a way of obtaining captives
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New Search
azimuth [Ge].
A compass bearing taken from true north. An azimuth of 90 degrees is due east, 180 degrees due south, etc.
Back -
New Search
Aztec [CP].
The dominant polity of the late Post-Classic period in the densely populated Basin of Mexico, which came to control large areas of Mesoamerica north of the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
The origins of the Aztecs are bound up in the population movements of Toltec refugees and Chichimec immigrants settling in the Basin of Mexico around 1000 ad, each establishing itself as a tiny state whose ruling dynasties claimed descent from the Toltecs and adopted Toltec ideologies and divinely authorized kingship.
The Aztecs, also known as the Tenochca or Mexica, were the last Chichimec tribe to arrive, possibly forced to leave their home at Aztlan by drought or over-population. There was little available land for occupation and the Aztecs lived a peripatetic existence, periodically being moved on by one state after another appalled by their savage ways and liking for human sacrifice. Eventually, they settled on some uninhabited swampy islands near the western shore of Lake Texcoco where, according to legend, they saw a sign previously prophesied as indicating the site for their capital: an eagle with a snake in its beak sitting on a cactus. The twin Aztec towns of Tenochtitlán and Tlatelolco were founded in ad 1325 or ad 1345.
In ad 1367 the Aztecs started serving as mercenaries for the ruler of the Tepanec city-state of Azcapotzalco, then in competition with the rulers of Texcoco for recognition as paramount lords of new Chichimec states. Through a series of alliances and rebellions the Aztec cities grew larger and more wealthy, with the Aztecs themselves gradually accruing more and more power. In 1434 the rulers of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán formed the so-called Triple Alliance with the rulers of Texcoco and Tlacopan. All the other small states in the Basin became tribute-paying vassals of the Alliance. By 1500 the Triple Alliance controlled an area of 200000 square kilometres and a population of perhaps 10 million. Aztec domination of the Alliance came in 1502.
The Aztecs invested much time and effort into the construction of their cities and the agricultural systems round about. The centre of Tenochtitlán was a sacred precinct dominated by a 60m high pyramid on which stood the temples of Tlaloc the rain god and Huitzilopochtli the war god. The precinct also included the priest's residence, a large ball court, and a tzompantli on which the skulls of many thousands of sacrificed victims were displayed. Surrounding the precinct were the palaces of Tenochtitlán's rulers, two major market-places, and, beyond these, the houses of the town's inhabitants.
Agriculture was intensive and heavily dependent on water control systems established in the Basin of Mexico by the Teotihuacan state. These water control systems were crucial both for irrigation and the draining of lakes. The Aztecs also made use of floating gardens by dredging lakes and piling the silt up to form raised surfaces.
Aztec society was stratified into three main classes: nobles ( pilli ), who were relatives of the king; commoners ( macehuales ), who belonged by birth to one of twenty clans; and displaced and conquered people ( mayeques ), who worked as tenants. Craftsmanship was important and Aztec artists excelled in stone sculpture. Other nations, particularly the Mixtec of Oaxaca were engaged to make featherwork, polychrome ceramics, superb gold jewellery, and intricate mosaics.
The Aztec state was a militaristic regime, constantly at war in order to conquer other states and force them to pay tribute, and as a way of obtaining captives
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