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Tides of History · January 23, 2024 · 47m
Cracking the Maya Code: How We Learned to Read the Past
The decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing in the 20th century transformed our understanding of Maya civilization from a mysterious, nature-worshipping people to a complex, literate civilization with recorded histories, wars, and dynastic politics.
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Canon
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J. Eric S. Thompson, the most influential Mayanist of the mid-20th century, insisted Maya glyphs were purely ideographic (representing ideas, not sounds). His authority blocked the correct phonetic decipherment for 30 years.
Highlights
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Once we could read Maya texts, the peaceful Maya myth collapsed — their inscriptions are full of warfare, sacrifice, and political intrigue
Before decipherment, scholars imagined the Maya as peaceful astronomer-priests. The texts revealed a civilization obsessed with warfare, political legitimacy, captive sacrifice, and dynastic competition — as complex and violent as any in Eurasia.Was this useful?