*** Welcome to piglix ***

Tikal Temple 33

Tikal Temple 33
Flickr - archer10 (Dennis) - Guatemala-1596.jpg
Only the base of Temple 33 now survives, here occupying the centre of the photo
Location Flores
Region Petén Department, Guatemala
History
Founded AD 457
Periods Early Classic
Cultures Maya civilization
Site notes
Excavation dates 1965
Archaeologists William R. Coe
Architecture
Architectural styles Early Classic Maya
Architectural details

Number of monuments: 2

Number of temples: 1
Responsible body: IDAEH

Number of monuments: 2

Tikal Temple 33 (referred to in archaeological reports as 5D-33) was a 33-metre-high (108 ft) ancient Maya funerary pyramid located in the North Acropolis of the great Maya city of Tikal. The pyramid was centrally situated in the front row of structures facing onto the Great Plaza, between Temples 32 and 34 and in front of the Northern Platform. Temple 33 is one of the most thoroughly explored temples in the entire Maya area. The earliest version was a low funerary shrine over the tomb of king Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, which was sealed in AD 457. Temple 33 underwent three consecutive phases of construction, during which the king's funerary shrine was remodelled and one of his stelae was interred above his tomb. In the mid-1960s, archaeologists completely dismantled the final version of the large pyramid, uncovering the earlier phases of construction.

Temple 33 was the funerary monument of Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, a 5th-century king of Tikal; it was built directly over his tomb, which was cut into the underlying bedrock. The pyramid underwent three distinct construction phases over the course of two centuries. The three phases of construction were labelled by archaeologists 33-1 (the final version), 33-2 (the intermediate version) and 33-3 (the original Early Classic shrine).

The first phase of construction consisted of a wide basal platform built as a mortuary shrine on top of the tomb. It featured large stucco masks measuring over 3 metres (9.8 ft) high that flanked the access stairway. The second phase took place not long after the first and involved building a new superstructure upon the basal platform, with the addition of new stucco masks and panelling. The walls of the shrine were covered with Early Classic period graffiti, including both figures and hieroglyphs. The interior of the shrine was thinly coated with soot, some of the graffiti had been etched into the sooty covering, whilst more was discovered carved into the plaster underneath the soot deposit.

The third and final phase of development took place during the Tikal Hiatus which lasted from AD 562 to 692. During this time Siyaj Chan K'awiil II's Stela 31 was hauled up into the second phase sanctuary and placed directly above the original tomb in a ceremony involving fire and the breaking of pottery. A new pyramid was built over this to a height of 33 metres (108 ft), to contain a new, although unidentified, royal burial. Construction was paused for the interment of another elite burial, who was buried in the rubble core of the pyramid. When excavated in 1959 and 1960, the facing of Temple 33-1 was found to be badly damaged by the passing of time and the effects of the covering vegetation.


...
Wikipedia

...