Lunar calendars of the pre-columbian Maya / Harvey M. Bricker, Victoria R. Bricker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bricker, Harvey M., author.

Bricker, Victoria Reifler, 1940- author.

Series:

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society ; v. 109, pt. 1.

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia for promoting useful knowledge, 0065-9746 ; volume 109, part 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maya calendar.

Lunar calendars.

Inscriptions, Mayan.

Maya astronomy.

Physical Description:

xvi, 233 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : American Philosophical Society Press, [2020]

Summary:

"Pre-Columbian Maya interest in the waxing and waning of the Moon is well documented in texts carved on approximately 200 monuments dating to the Classic period (AD 300-900). The lunar content of these inscriptions was first recognized by scholars during the second decade of the twentieth century, but it was not fully understood until the ninth decade of that century. The recent discovery of a lunar table painted on the wall of a small building at Xultun in Guatemala provides the impetus to take another look at the lunar inscriptions on Classic Maya monuments and to evaluate the degree to which the twentieth-century ideas about their structure and function conform to the information provided by the lunar table at Xultun. It also permits us to take a fresh look at how Maya understanding of lunar motion developed through time and din space over the six centuries of the Classic period."-- Provided by publisher.

"This book studies the astronomical texts carved on stone monuments and painted on the interior walls of buildings in the Maya area during the Classic period of their civilization (ca. AD 300-900). The periodicities of the Moon and, occasionally, how they intersect with the Venus cycle, are the principal concerns of such inscribed and painted texts"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Lunar astronomy

Maya concepts of time

Maya concepts of the moon

History of research on the supplementary/lunar series

Description of the glyphs of the supplementary/lunar series

Analysis of classic Maya lunar series

Testing of the Xultun model

Monumental records of eclipses visible in the Maya area

The relationship between the moon and Venus on classic Maya monuments

Lunar periodicities of the pre-columbian Maya

Appendix A. Lists of lunar series arranged by "groups" and sites

Appendix B. Computer programs used in analyzing Maya lunar series.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-225) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Bricker, Harvey M. Lunar calendars of the precolumbian Maya

ISBN:

9781606180914

1606180916

OCLC:

1142012218