Reading the Maya glyphs / Michael D. Coe, Mark Van Stone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coe, Michael D.

Contributor:

Van Stone, Mark.

Elizabeth Bowers Peck, 1929 Endowment Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mayan languages--Writing.

Mayan languages.

Physical Description:

176 pages : illustrations, color map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Thames & Hudson, 2001.

Summary:

Decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing has reached the point where most Maya written texts -- whether inscribed on the monuments, written in the codices, or painted or incised on ceramics -- can now be read with some confidence. The breaking of the Maya code has completely changed our knowledge of this ancient civilization, and has revealed the Maya people's long and vivid history.

In the recent past, a working knowledge of this script has been confined to epigraphers, art historians, and other specialists. Its very unfamiliarity to the general public, and the daunting aspect of its approximately 800 signs, have made the system appear more complex and arcane than it really is. Yet the rudiments of the system have been successfully taught at a number of Maya workshops in the United States, Canada, and Britain.

Reading the Maya Glyphs is a compact, portable guide that enables students, tourists, and armchair travelers to read and understand commonly encountered Classic Maya texts. Topics include the nature of the script, the intricate Maya calendar, dynastic and political texts, and every aspect of the natural and supernatural world in which they lived. Written by one of the leading authorities in Maya studies, Michael D. Coe, and illustrated by the drawings of Mark Van Stone, one of America's outstanding calligraphers, the book presupposes no previous training in Maya epigraphy or archaeology. Whether in the hands of visitors to the great Maya sites of Mexico and Central America, or consulted by museum-goers, this guide will enhance appreciation of some of the world's greatest art and architecture.

Contents:

1 The Cultural Background of Maya Writing 11

1.1 Overview of a civilization 11

1.2 Scribes and artists 13

1.3 The language of the inscriptions 15

2 The Nature of the Maya Script 17

2.1 Principles 17

2.2 Syllabograms 20

2.3 Morphosyllabic signs 22

2.4 Logograms with phonetic complements 24

2.5 Polyvalence 25

2.6 Conflation 26

2.7 Some grammar 26

2.7.1 Nouns 27

2.7.2 Gender 28

2.7.3 Pronouns 29

2.7.4 Adjectives 31

2.7.5 Verbs 32

2.8 Locative prepositions 35

3 Time and the Calendar 37

3.1 General remarks 37

3.2 Maya numbers 38

3.3 The Calendar Round 40

3.3.1 The 260-day Count 41

3.3.2 The Haab 42

3.4 The Long Count and the Initial Series 45

3.4.1 The Initial Series 48

3.4.2 The Supplementary Series 49

3.5 Distance Numbers, Period Endings, and anniversaries 53

4 Royal Lives and Royal Rituals 59

4.1 General remarks 59

4.2 Life-cycle events 59

4.2.1 Birth 59

4.2.2 Accession 61

4.2.3 Death and burial 62

4.3 Ritual activities 63

4.3.1 Period Ending rites 63

4.3.2 Bloodletting 64

4.3.3 God impersonation 65

4.3.4 Royal dance 65

4.3.5 Ballplaying and ballcourts 66

5 Places and Polities 68

5.1 Emblem Glyphs 68

5.2 Toponyms (place names) 71

6 Dynastic Names and Titles 74

6.1 Titles 74

6.2 Rulers 79

7 Relationships 86

7.1 Parentage statements 86

7.2 Spouse 87

7.3 Siblings 88

8 Warfare 89

8.1 Glyphs for general war 89

8.2 The taking of prisoners 90

9 Scribes and Artists 94

9.1 Users of brush pens 94

9.2 Carvers 95

9.3 Other titles for artists and scribes 96

10 Ceramic Texts 98

10.1 General remarks 98

10.2 The Primary Standard Sequence (PSS) 99

11 The Supernatural World 108

11.1 General remarks 108

11.2 Divinity and godhead 109

11.3 The major gods 110

11.4 Paired gods 118

11.5 Triads 118

11.6 The Death Gods 119

11.7 The way spirit-companions 121

12 The Inanimate and Animate Worlds 123

12.1 The physical world 123

12.1.1 The directions 123

12.1.2 The colors 125

12.1.3 The sky and the earth 126

12.2 Humans 128

12.3 Animals 129

12.4 Buildings and structures 132

12.5 Stone objects 133

12.6 Pottery vessels 135

12.7 Costume and personal adornment 135

Syllabary 155

A Maya Lexicon 161

Calendrical Formulae and Tables 167

Software Programs 168.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [172]-173) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Elizabeth Bowers Peck, 1929 Endowment Book Fund.

ISBN:

0500051100

OCLC:

47677655