Posted on 01/06/2006 9:02:08 AM PST by Mikey_1962
ANTIGUA, Guatemala (Reuters) - Archeologists excavating a pyramid complex in the Guatemalan jungle have uncovered the earliest example of Mayan writing ever found, 10 bold hieroglyphs painted on plaster and stone.
The 2,300-year-old glyphs were excavated last April in San Bartolo and suggest the ancient Mayas developed an advanced writing system centuries earlier than previously believed, according to an article published on Thursday in the journal Science.
The glyphs date from between 200 BC and 300 BC and come from the same site in the Peten jungle of northern Guatemala where archeologist William Saturno found the oldest murals in the Mayan world in 2001. Radiocarbon tests prove the writing is 100 years older than the murals depicting the Mayan creation myth.
The glyphs, thin black paintings on off-white stucco, lay in a plastic tub in a laboratory in an old house in the colonial city of Antigua on Thursday as archeologists cleaned and cataloged other stones from the San Bartolo site.
While the writing is mostly indecipherable, Saturno and his team claim one glyph could be an early version of the word "ajaw" or "ruler."
"People have long been hoping to find a carved stone monument from this period of the Maya," said Mary Miller, a Mayan art expert at Yale University.
"It turned out not to be carved in stone but instead associated with this incredible complex of early paintings," she said. "It's as if we were to find pictures of Jesus on the cross from the time when he was really alive."
The pyramids at San Bartolo were constructed over several centuries with newer structures built over the old. Guatemalan archeologist Boris Beltran discovered the hieroglyphic writings by accident while excavating a structure buried deep below the room housing the ancient murals.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
B.S. So, how do they know how old this writing is? Did the Myans make the rocks they wrote on at the same time? Or did they use "used" rocks from a different geological age to make these pyramids, or rocks they wrote on? Did they (the writers) even make the pyramids? Or were they made by someone else? If they were made by someone use, did they make the rocks used, or did they use "used" rocks they found in the area? Were all the used rocks uniform in geological age? were they all from the same area? So many questions. Not one answer can be proven. But notice how fast they came up with the 2,300 years old number without one lick of proof.
Or maybe they are instructions on how to open your own Flea Market.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
No, you may not. And stop slouching.
"Chac", Maya Calendar program by Warren Anderson (Mac, Classic OS only):
http://www.angelfire.com/zine/meso/meso/mac-maya.hqx
(didn't check the version; most up to date one is 1.11, from late Dec 2000)
Maybe she can finally answer the old question about "...where would you bury the survivors?"
Your quote answers your question: radiocarbon dating.
I assume the researchers have dated the paint. I don't take all the dates at face value, either, but I figure it's older than some other stuff, at least.
:-).
What cuties! Thanks for posting.
My pleasure. It is so much fun being a proud grandma!
Kudos to you, Gramma! Now, how many years before you take 'em to Sea World?!
Just got back from spending the holidays with them in Hawaii. That's where my son is stationed. We sent snorkeling at Hanauma Bay....but we didn't see any whales or dolfins.
I guess we'll just have to have Sea World to look forward too.
I also am very proud of my two older grandsons ages six and nine. My six year old just completed his 3 years of chemotherapy for leukemia. He's six going on 26....but he's made it this far and is in remission. I want to spend every minute I have with those sweet little angels....you only get one chance.
Prayers offered up for the complete and total healing of your six year old grandson. Let's agree together in prayer that the remission will continue, that his doctors will have wisdom in their treatments, and that the child will experience complete recovery and restoration. Amen.
Oh, thank you so much! He has done remarkably well, and I thank God for that everyday.
I searched the web and it appears to be "Kings Bread" or "Magi Bread" from Mexico. Today is the feast of the 3 kings.
Actually, one of the mayans depicted in the mural was wearing a sun dial watch, and it was stopped at 200 B.C. that's how they knew how old the glyphs were.
The Mayans did build most of their big structures on top of older structures that were partially demolished, so often what one sees on the surface is 500 or more years newer than what's underneath.
I saw that on the web too. I have a Guatemalan daughter-in-law, and a Spanish father-in law and I've never heard of it. It sounds like a fun thing to do, with the surprise in the bread.
I'll try to remember it for next year.
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