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The Power of the Word

The Power of the Word. Maya Hieroglyphs, Calendars, and math. The Power of the Word. Hatshepsut’s tomb. God said, “Let there be light…” “I now pronounce you man and wife” We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…. Outline . What is a writing system? Maya math

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The Power of the Word

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  1. The Power of the Word Maya Hieroglyphs, Calendars, and math

  2. The Power of the Word Hatshepsut’s tomb God said, “Let there be light…” “I now pronounce you man and wife” We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…

  3. Outline What is a writing system? Maya math Calendars and time Maya hieroglyphs Practice exercise Break Library

  4. Writing Systems European languages- alphabetic Maya hieroglyphics combination of signs that represent words and phonetic components

  5. Types of Writing Systems Living languages Not evolutionary or linear development

  6. Scribes Maize god as scribe, K1185

  7. Scribal workshop, K717

  8. Rabbit Scribe, K05 Page from Madrid Codex, almanac

  9. Maya Math Basics: Vigesimal Bar-and-dot Zero What do they say? Dates

  10. Variants for the numeric glyphs

  11. Time • Linear and cyclical • Units of time • K’in • Uinal • Tun • Katun • Day names • Monuments (left) • Codices (right) • Calendars

  12. 1: Tsolk’in Madrid Codex • 260 days • 13 days, 20 day names • Ex: 12 Ahau • Ritual • Codices • Still in use in some areas of Maya highlands

  13. 2: Haab • 18 months, 20 days • Ex: 16 Mak • No coefficient for 20th day- called the ‘seating’ • 5 unlucky days at end = 365 day year • Agricultural

  14. 3: Calendar Round Repeating cycle of 52, 365 day years Used by cultures throughout Mesoamerica, not just Maya

  15. Two dates on the monument from Tikal. • 9 Ahau 13 Pop • 11 Ets’nab 11 Ch’en • Victory of Tikal lord over Calakmul Wooden lintel Temple 1, Tikal

  16. 4: Long Count • Unique to Maya • Linear, based on fixed point in time • Allowed rulers to connect with mythical past • 5 places: • Ex: 10.4.0.0.0 • 10 bak’tunob (ob is plural), 4 k’atunob, no tunob, no winalob, no k’inob • ISIG glyph

  17. Left: glyphs for LC components with inanimate variants (left) and animal forms (right) Right, top: variants of the ISIG glyph Right, bottom: example of LC date

  18. Kablooey!!!!!!??? • LC composed of 13 cycles, December 21, 2012 marks the end of the 13th cycle. • What have you heard? • Two Maya monuments mention this date: • Stela C at Quirigua • Monument 6 at Tortuguero • Or not. • There is no evidence the Maya ‘predicted’ that the world will end in 2012.

  19. Izapa Stela 25- Milky way? Flood page, Dresden Codex

  20. Glyphs • Two basic types of glyphs • Syllabic • Logographic • How to write words with glyphs • Glyph blocks • Name exercise

  21. Syllabic Glyphs Ma • Vowels (pronounced like Spanish vowels) • Consonants joined to vowels • All syllables end in vowels • Ex: • English word note • Maya: no+t(o) • English word noote • Maya: no+t(i) • Unique sounds: glottal stops • T’o is not toe • Approximately 250 known

  22. Logographic glyphs Stand for whole words, usually written in all caps Approximately 500 known When glyph looks like word, called pictogram

  23. Writing words with glyphs Glyph blocks are collocations of glyphs • Reading order ‘general rule of thumb’ • Both individual glyphs and texts read from top left to lower right

  24. Breaking it out Was seated Was born Quick example of how a glyph can be broken down into components

  25. B’ALAM- jaguar 1 • CHAN- sky 3 4 5 2 CHAN CHAN-n(a)

  26. Writing your name • Divide your name into Maya syllables • Ex: Anna. A-na • Ex: Adam. A-da-m(a) • Ex: Antonio. A-n(a)-to-ni-o • Find your syllables in the syllabary chart. • Choose a main syllable. • Place syllables into the glyph block.

  27. Ex: Ana Ex: Maria

  28. Library Look at several different pre-Hispanic and contact period codices

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