The Power of the Word

The Power of the WordMaya Hieroglyphs, Calendars, and mathThe Power of the WordGod 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

Hatshepsuts tombOutlineWhat is a writing system?Maya mathCalendars and timeMaya hieroglyphsPractice exerciseBreakLibrary

Writing SystemsEuropean languages- alphabetic

Maya hieroglyphics combination of signs that represent words and phonetic components

Types of Writing SystemsLiving languagesNot evolutionary or linear development

Scribes

Maize god as scribe, K1185

Scribal workshop, K717

Rabbit Scribe, K05Page from Madrid Codex, almanacMaya MathBasics: VigesimalBar-and-dotZero

What do they say?Dates

Variants for the numeric glyphsTimeLinear and cyclical Units of timeKinUinalTunKatunDay namesMonuments (left)Codices (right)Calendars

1: Tsolkin260 days13 days, 20 day namesEx: 12 AhauRitualCodicesStill in use in some areas of Maya highlands

Madrid Codex

2: Haab18 months, 20 daysEx: 16 MakNo coefficient for 20th day- called the seating 5 unlucky days at end = 365 day yearAgricultural

3: Calendar RoundRepeating cycle of 52, 365 day yearsUsed by cultures throughout Mesoamerica, not just Maya

Wooden lintel Temple 1, Tikal

Two dates on the monument from Tikal. 9 Ahau 13 Pop11 Etsnab 11 ChenVictory of Tikal lord over Calakmul4: Long CountUnique to MayaLinear, based on fixed point in timeAllowed rulers to connect with mythical past5 places: Ex: 10.4.0.0.010 baktunob (ob is plural), 4 katunob, no tunob, no winalob, no kinob ISIG glyph

Left: glyphs for LC components with inanimate variants (left) and animal forms (right)

Right, top: variants of the ISIG glyphRight, bottom: example of LC dateKablooey!!!!!!???Or not. There is no evidence the Maya predicted that the world will end in 2012.

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 QuiriguaMonument 6 at Tortuguero

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

GlyphsTwo basic types of glyphsSyllabicLogographicHow to write words with glyphsGlyph blocksName exerciseSyllabic GlyphsVowels (pronounced like Spanish vowels)Consonants joined to vowelsAll syllables end in vowelsEx: English word noteMaya: no+t(o)English word nooteMaya: no+t(i)Unique sounds: glottal stopsTo is not toeApproximately 250 known

MaLogographic glyphsStand for whole words, usually written in all capsApproximately 500 knownWhen glyph looks like word, called pictogram

Writing words with glyphsReading order general rule of thumbBoth individual glyphs and texts read from top left to lower right

Glyph blocks are collocations of glyphsBreaking it outQuick example of how a glyph can be broken down into components

Was seatedWas bornBALAM- jaguar

12

345CHAN- sky

CHANCHAN-n(a)Writing your nameDivide your name into Maya syllablesEx: Anna. A-naEx: Adam. A-da-m(a)Ex: Antonio. A-n(a)-to-ni-oFind your syllables in the syllabary chart. Choose a main syllable. Place syllables into the glyph block.

Ex: Ana

Ex: Maria

LibraryLook at several different pre-Hispanic and contact period codicesLinguistic structureOrthographic structure

Meaning-basedText---

Topic---

Speech actPictorial signs

WordLogographic writing

morphemeLogographic writing

Sound-basedSyllableSyllabic writing

SegmentConsonantal writing

PhonemeAlphabetic writing

PhonePhonetic alphabet

FeatureFeatural writing system