Questões de Concurso

The end of the Terminal Classic Period has been viewed as the death knell for the Maya civilization, and the Postclassic Period has traditionally been described as a militaristic, decadent, and degenerate phase in Maya history. But more enlightened views would see that the militarism was part and parcel with other features that suggest a tendency towards secularism and the resultant downplaying of the ceremonial rituals that dominated the Classic Period. Moreover, much of our interpretations of the Postclassic were projected from ethnohistoric accounts of the Spanish intrusions in the region. Very little attention has been directed towards understanding the Postclassic through archaeology, although recent research on the period, particularly at Santa Rita in northern Belize, suggests continuity from the Classic Period.The focus of cultural developments moved from the Central Maya Lowlands north, to the Yucatan, where the Spanish first contacted the Maya culture.

Once the Spanish established their base in northern Yucatan by 1546, they began to impose their views and customs upon the Maya. This was a time of great disruption. The Maya people suffered from introduction of European diseases suppression of native traditions conscription of labor.

Tragically, the vast majority of Maya documents were destroyed by Spanish religious zealots. The Auto de Fe of Fray DeLanda is among the most famed. Credited with providing scraps of information on the Mayan language, in truth he is responsible for burning the majority of the known text at the time. The created a huge void of information about the language and practices of this advanced civilization. The Maya of the Yucatan struggled to maintain their life ways under Spanish rule. The Maya forest garden and milpa strategy, unfamiliar to and unappreciated by the Spanish, was not accepted.

After the conquest of the northern Yucatan, the southern Maya Itza kingdom still dominated the southern lowlands, where Tikal once ruled. Hostile to their neighbors and ensconced in the Maya forest, they were able to maintain their independence for nearly two centuries after the Spanish arrived.

Postclassic Mural

It was not until 1696 that the Spanish conquered the last of the independent Maya city-states, the Itza of Tayasal, the descendants of the ancient Maya realm. The Central Maya Lowlands, which today include most of Belize and the Peten of Guatemala, are still home to Maya who can trace their ancestry back into prehistory as attested by the patronyms of local villagers: Teck, Bacab, Mai, Cocom, and Panti to name a few.

https://www.marc.ucsb.edu/research/maya/ancient-maya-civilization/po stclassic-period

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By University of Reading Tue, Aug 26, 2025

University of Reading - Longer thumbs mean bigger brains, scientists have found ? revealing how human hands and minds evolved together. Researchers studied 94 different primate species, including fossils and living animals, to understand how our ancestors developed their abilities. They found that species with relatively longer thumbs, which help with gripping small objects precisely, consistently had larger brains. The research, published today (Tuesday, 26 August) in Communications Biology, provides the first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected across the entire primate lineage, from lemurs to humans. Humans and our extinct relatives boast both extraordinarily long thumbs and exceptionally large brains. However, the link remains strong across all primates: when scientists removed human data from their analysis, the connection between thumb length and brain size remained. 

Dr Joanna Baker, lead author from the University of Reading, said: "We've always known that our big brains and nimble fingers set us apart, but now we can see they didn't evolve separately. As our ancestors got better at picking up and manipulating objects, their brains had to grow to handle these new skills. These abilities have been fine-tuned through millions of years of brain evolution." 

The scientists made a surprising discovery about which part of the brain grows alongside longer thumbs. They expected longer thumbs to be linked to the cerebellum because it is the region of the brain that controls movement and coordination. Instead, longer thumbs were connected to the neocortex (a complex layered region comprising approximately half the volume of the human brain), which processes sensory information and handles cognition and consciousness. 

It was a surprise that only one of the two major brain regions they thought would be involved actually was. The findings suggest that as primates developed better manual skills for handling objects, their brains had to grow to process and use these new abilities effectively ? but further work is needed to establish exactly how the neocortex supports manipulative abilities.

https://popular-archaeology.com/article/primate-thumbs-and-brains-evol ved-hand-in-hand/

O texto seguinte servirá de base para responder à questão.

By University of Reading Tue, Aug 26, 2025

University of Reading - Longer thumbs mean bigger brains, scientists have found ? revealing how human hands and minds evolved together. Researchers studied 94 different primate species, including fossils and living animals, to understand how our ancestors developed their abilities. They found that species with relatively longer thumbs, which help with gripping small objects precisely, consistently had larger brains. The research, published today (Tuesday, 26 August) in Communications Biology, provides the first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected across the entire primate lineage, from lemurs to humans. Humans and our extinct relatives boast both extraordinarily long thumbs and exceptionally large brains. However, the link remains strong across all primates: when scientists removed human data from their analysis, the connection between thumb length and brain size remained. 

Dr Joanna Baker, lead author from the University of Reading, said: "We've always known that our big brains and nimble fingers set us apart, but now we can see they didn't evolve separately. As our ancestors got better at picking up and manipulating objects, their brains had to grow to handle these new skills. These abilities have been fine-tuned through millions of years of brain evolution." 

The scientists made a surprising discovery about which part of the brain grows alongside longer thumbs. They expected longer thumbs to be linked to the cerebellum because it is the region of the brain that controls movement and coordination. Instead, longer thumbs were connected to the neocortex (a complex layered region comprising approximately half the volume of the human brain), which processes sensory information and handles cognition and consciousness. 

It was a surprise that only one of the two major brain regions they thought would be involved actually was. The findings suggest that as primates developed better manual skills for handling objects, their brains had to grow to process and use these new abilities effectively ? but further work is needed to establish exactly how the neocortex supports manipulative abilities.

https://popular-archaeology.com/article/primate-thumbs-and-brains-evol ved-hand-in-hand/

The Medal is awarded by the Royal Anthropological Institute for outstanding contributions to anthropology, with an emphasis on fieldwork and a significant body of theoretical literature.

Shaping global conversations

Professor Mookherjee is Co-Director of our Institute of Advanced Studies, and her interdisciplinary work explores how societies remember violence and imagine fairer futures.

Her research spans war crimes tribunals, memorials, wartime sexual violence, graphic ethnography, digital surveillance and nearly three decades of fieldwork in Bangladesh.

Using ethnography and visual storytelling, Professor Mookherjee examines how memories of conflict shape politics, aesthetics, and ethics today.

Her work has shaped global conversations on ethical testimonies, public memories and gendered violence during conflict.

It has contributed substantially to the well-being of survivors and ethical discussions on sexual violence during conflict.

Far reaching concepts

In 2022, Professor Mookherjee theorised and edited the volume 'On Irreconciliation' to explore the politics of non-forgiveness, justice and the possibilities of accountability after conflict.

The work allowed an important examination of the rule of law within processes of unresolved genocidal injustices, debates relating to enslavement, memorialisation, removal of statues and institutional responses to bullying and harassment.

The concept of Irreconciliation has had extensive interdisciplinary interest and resonance.

Professor Mookherjee was invited to deliver the 2023 Firth lecture?on this theme at the Association of Social Anthropology of UK's annual conference.?

The lecture generated discussions among those researching genocide, state violence, reparative justice as well as those working on climate change and mental health.

The theoretical frameworks has been widely deployed by academic and non-academic communities within and beyond anthropology.

Professor Mookherjee is currently preparing a book on the 'Arts of Irreconciliation and the Futuring of Bangladesh' covering the debates of the liberation war of the country and the 2024 uprising.

Prestigious award

Professor Mookherjee said she was honoured to receive the 2025 Rivers Memorial Medal, adding: "The research among various communities has meant so much for my learning, thinking, writing and teaching.

"I am absolutely delighted with this recognition.

"For various survivor communities a critique of the symbolic performance of redressal has become very important.

"This creates the possibility of not only registering the impact of violence.

"It also creates a political space for them in the face of the corrosive realities that the lack of acknowledgement of injustice engenders.

"It is also important to critically understand various forms of irreconciliation and victimhood."

https://www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2025/08/professornayanika-mookherjee-awarded-top-anthropology-honour-/