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Tikal Temple V
Tikal Temple V is the name given by archaeologists to one of the major pyramids at Tikal. Tikal is one of the most important archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization and is located in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala.
Temple V stands south of the Central Acropolis and is the mortuary pyramid of an as yet unidentified ruler of the once great city. The temple stands 57 metres (187 ft) high, making it the second tallest structure at Tikal—only Temple IV is taller. The temple has been dated to about AD 700, in the Late Classic period, via radiocarbon analysis and the dating of ceramics associated with the structure places its construction during the reign of Nun Bak Chak in the second half of the 7th century.
The architectural style of the pyramid includes features that were popular during the Early Classic period, such as wide balustrades flanking the main stairway and the rounded corners of the temple. These features indicate the continued influence of earlier traditions.
Temple V is located in the southern part of Tikal's site core, upon an east-west ridge that also supports the Lost World complex, the Plaza of the Seven Temples and the South Acropolis. In front of the artificial platform supporting the temple structure is a depression that was used as one of the city's reservoirs.
By the Late Classic, access to the temple was severely limited by the reservoir immediately to the north, by the South Acropolis to the west, by a palace complex to the east and by a natural depression in the terrain to the south. All of the other main temples at Tikal were linked to the city's network of causeways but Temple V was an exception. This may indicate that it had already been abandoned by the Late Classic and fallen into disrepair, possibly explaining Temple V's poor state of preservation when compared to the other principal temples in the city.
The pyramid sits upon a platform that is 5 metres (16 ft) higher than the level of the Central Plaza. The platform was built by constructing a system of compartments with sloping megalithic walls reinforced with vertical interior retaining walls, these compartments were filled with alternating layers of compacted earth and stone. This leveled off the natural terrain and allowed the platform to support the massive weight of the temple.
The base of the pyramid covers an area of approximately 2,050 square metres (22,100 sq ft). The pyramid base measures 36 metres (118 ft) north-south by 51 metres (167 ft) east-west. The temple rises in seven 4-metre (13 ft) high stepped levels with inset rounded corners, the curve having a radius of 3 metres (9.8 ft). Temple V is unique in this respect, with no other major temple at Tikal having rounded corners, although similar corners are known from a triadic temple at Caracol in Belize. The main body of the pyramid appears to have originally supported decorated mouldings although surviving examples have only been found at the corners of the building.
The main stairway measures 20 metres (66 ft) wide and rises from the north, unusually for Tikal where most of the larger temples face east or west. The stairway of the pyramid projects over 12 metres (39 ft) from the pyramid base and has about 90 steps; the balustrades of the stairway are 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) wide and rise the whole height of the stairs. At Tikal this is a feature that is usually found in buildings dating to the Early Classic.
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Tikal Temple V AI simulator
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Tikal Temple V
Tikal Temple V is the name given by archaeologists to one of the major pyramids at Tikal. Tikal is one of the most important archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization and is located in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala.
Temple V stands south of the Central Acropolis and is the mortuary pyramid of an as yet unidentified ruler of the once great city. The temple stands 57 metres (187 ft) high, making it the second tallest structure at Tikal—only Temple IV is taller. The temple has been dated to about AD 700, in the Late Classic period, via radiocarbon analysis and the dating of ceramics associated with the structure places its construction during the reign of Nun Bak Chak in the second half of the 7th century.
The architectural style of the pyramid includes features that were popular during the Early Classic period, such as wide balustrades flanking the main stairway and the rounded corners of the temple. These features indicate the continued influence of earlier traditions.
Temple V is located in the southern part of Tikal's site core, upon an east-west ridge that also supports the Lost World complex, the Plaza of the Seven Temples and the South Acropolis. In front of the artificial platform supporting the temple structure is a depression that was used as one of the city's reservoirs.
By the Late Classic, access to the temple was severely limited by the reservoir immediately to the north, by the South Acropolis to the west, by a palace complex to the east and by a natural depression in the terrain to the south. All of the other main temples at Tikal were linked to the city's network of causeways but Temple V was an exception. This may indicate that it had already been abandoned by the Late Classic and fallen into disrepair, possibly explaining Temple V's poor state of preservation when compared to the other principal temples in the city.
The pyramid sits upon a platform that is 5 metres (16 ft) higher than the level of the Central Plaza. The platform was built by constructing a system of compartments with sloping megalithic walls reinforced with vertical interior retaining walls, these compartments were filled with alternating layers of compacted earth and stone. This leveled off the natural terrain and allowed the platform to support the massive weight of the temple.
The base of the pyramid covers an area of approximately 2,050 square metres (22,100 sq ft). The pyramid base measures 36 metres (118 ft) north-south by 51 metres (167 ft) east-west. The temple rises in seven 4-metre (13 ft) high stepped levels with inset rounded corners, the curve having a radius of 3 metres (9.8 ft). Temple V is unique in this respect, with no other major temple at Tikal having rounded corners, although similar corners are known from a triadic temple at Caracol in Belize. The main body of the pyramid appears to have originally supported decorated mouldings although surviving examples have only been found at the corners of the building.
The main stairway measures 20 metres (66 ft) wide and rises from the north, unusually for Tikal where most of the larger temples face east or west. The stairway of the pyramid projects over 12 metres (39 ft) from the pyramid base and has about 90 steps; the balustrades of the stairway are 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) wide and rise the whole height of the stairs. At Tikal this is a feature that is usually found in buildings dating to the Early Classic.