Breaking the Maya Code

ISBN: 9780500281338

出版社: Thames & Hudson

出版年: 1999-10-01

页数: 304

定价: USD 19.95

装帧: Paperback

内容简介

Michael Coe's classic inside story of one of the major intellectual breakthroughs of our time--the last great decoding of an ancient script--has been updated throughout and now includes an epilogue that brings the reader up to date in the fast-changing field of Maya decipherment. Among the more exciting advances to be described are:

* the discovery of the specific Maya language and sophisticated grammar used by the ancient scribes on stone monuments and painted vases;

* archaeological explorations of tombs and buildings of the ancient founders of the great city of Copan, whose very existence had been predicted by epigraphers through glyphic decipherment;

* the realization that many small city-states were dominated by two rival giants, Tikal and Calakmul, through a potent combination of military conquest, diplomacy, and royal marriages.