Breaking the Maya Code

This is the story of how the Mayan glyphs found in the ancient ruins of Copan and other Mayan sites have been deciphered within the last 20 years. Michael Coe worked with all the leading players in this field. Although the Mayan cities were discovered a century and a half ago, the field of Mayan scholarship was dominated by scholars who had a dogmatic approach to the decipherment. Both personalities and Cold War politics slowed down the process. Then in the early 50s, a Russian scholar, Knorosov, interpreted the glyphs in a ... Read More

This is the story of how the Mayan glyphs found in the ancient ruins of Copan and other Mayan sites have been deciphered within the last 20 years. Michael Coe worked with all the leading players in this field. Although the Mayan cities were discovered a century and a half ago, the field of Mayan scholarship was dominated by scholars who had a dogmatic approach to the decipherment. Both personalities and Cold War politics slowed down the process. Then in the early 50s, a Russian scholar, Knorosov, interpreted the glyphs in a new way, comprising both phonetic and conceptual ideas. Another breakthrough, deciphering the pattern of dates in the Mayan records, followed at the end of the decade. In the 70s, studies of comparative languages furthered the decipherment, and now perhaps 85% of the glyphs can be deciphered - though many mysteries remain. This is an account of the decipherment of an ancient language, which is given added impact by Coe's first-hand account of scholarly rivalries, personality clashes, and political prejudices which held back progress for so long. The book includes many illustrations of the glyphs and engravings, and two photo insets. Read Less

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  	This is a digital edition of this title. Buy eBook Lifetime Access: $20.51 Title: Breaking the Maya Code by Michael D. Coe Publisher: Thames & Hudson Print ISBN: 9780500289556, 0500289557 eText ISBN: 9780500770603 Edition: 2011 3rd edition Format: EPUB eBook	$20.51 Buy eBook This is a digital eBook Nothing will be shipped to you Works with web browsers and the VitalSource app on all Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, iOS, and Android devices Most eBooks are returnable within 14 days of purchase Questions? See our eBook FAQ