Descripción de la obra
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Although most Mayan inscriptions have been deciphered within the last 30 years, very little has been written for the general reader interested in learning to read these ancient hieroglyphics. To remedy this, anthropologist Coe (Breaking the Maya Code) and calligrapher Van Stone have put together this illustrated manual. After an introductory chapter on Mayan history and culture, an overview is given of Mayan script, phonetics, and morphology, which readers need to study carefully with the help of the syllabary and lexicon provided in the appendix. The authors then go on to introduce glyphs, elaborating on subjects like time, the Mayan calendar, royalty, places, titles, relationships, warfare, scribes and artists, ceramic texts, religion, and nature. Also provided are exercises, a discussion of formulae and tables for calendrical calculations, references to software programs, and suggestions for further study. Although no previous knowledge of Mayan culture or language is assumed, this is not a simple primer to take on a trip to the Yucat n. Some background reading, especially on the Mayan calendar and Mayan history, is needed to benefit fully from this manual. For academic and large public libraries. Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA