Brett Meyer

My dissertation research focuses on intermediate elites in ancient Maya society and the roles these intermediate elites played within regional politics. I am conducting excavations at the secondary center of Ek Tzul in the upper Belize River Valley of western Belize. Ek Tzul was first discovered by archaeologists following a lidar (light detecting and ranging) survey in 2013. My team was the first to excavate at the site starting in 2022. Since then, I have conducted three season of field work seeing to answer: (1) what was the occupational history of Ek Tzul, and how did its settlement and expansion reflect the broader political dynamics of the upper Belize River Valley, and (2) what role did Ek Tzul play within the valley, and how did this role evolve over time.

I am also interested in the role animals play in society, how they are used for dietary and non-dietary purposes, and their impact on the emergence of inequality. My other research examines how animals helped create, maintain, and solidify inequality among the Preclassic Maya of the Belize River Valley. Additionally, I focus on diachronic change in animal exploitation to trace the shifting dynamics animals play in the growth and decline of complex societies.

Keywords: Mesoamerica, Maya, Intermediate Elites, Complex Societies, Zooarchaeology, Social Organization, Social Change, Political Organization, Emergence of Complexity, Inequality