Writing:
Mayan text was a very complex, hieroglyphic writing. Not all Mayan texts that were found could be translated. Mayan text was thought to be pictorial representation and logograms, which are symbols representing one word and concept, until the later half of the 20th century.
In the 19th century, it was recognized that many Mayan text included information on the calendar and astronomy. Because of this, scholars believed the Maya was a peaceful nation of astronomer-priests. It was also because of this reason that we couldn’t read Mayan text correctly, since this thought was kept for decades. From about 250 B.C., maybe an earlier date, the Mayan script was invented.
For a long time, scholars thought that the Mayan script wasn’t a language at all, and it wasn’t a real writing system. Then, in the 1950s, a Russian ethnologist, Yuri Valentivochich Knorosov published an article in Russia, (Soviet Union) with the title: Ancient Writing of Central America. He found out that the Mayan language was real after all and that the language was a phonetic writing system, a writing system with different signs standing for each consonant and vowel combinations.
When Yuri Knorosov proposed the idea that Maya text was a phonetic system, western mayanists disagreed with Knorosov’s theory because he was Communist, but it was figured out that he was right, and his principles have now been accepted. It has finally been recognized that Mayan writing is phonetic, though it also contains a number of logograms.
There was more progress in figuring out Mayan language in the 1970s-1980s when more people got interested in figuring out the language. Now, most Mayan text can be read, but still some are unknown. Mayan text is very mysterious, and the writing is very hard and complicated. It is one of the most complex writing systems ever found.
Mayan text was a very complex, hieroglyphic writing. Not all Mayan texts that were found could be translated. Mayan text was thought to be pictorial representation and logograms, which are symbols representing one word and concept, until the later half of the 20th century.
In the 19th century, it was recognized that many Mayan text included information on the calendar and astronomy. Because of this, scholars believed the Maya was a peaceful nation of astronomer-priests. It was also because of this reason that we couldn’t read Mayan text correctly, since this thought was kept for decades. From about 250 B.C., maybe an earlier date, the Mayan script was invented.
For a long time, scholars thought that the Mayan script wasn’t a language at all, and it wasn’t a real writing system. Then, in the 1950s, a Russian ethnologist, Yuri Valentivochich Knorosov published an article in Russia, (Soviet Union) with the title: Ancient Writing of Central America. He found out that the Mayan language was real after all and that the language was a phonetic writing system, a writing system with different signs standing for each consonant and vowel combinations.
When Yuri Knorosov proposed the idea that Maya text was a phonetic system, western mayanists disagreed with Knorosov’s theory because he was Communist, but it was figured out that he was right, and his principles have now been accepted. It has finally been recognized that Mayan writing is phonetic, though it also contains a number of logograms.
There was more progress in figuring out Mayan language in the 1970s-1980s when more people got interested in figuring out the language. Now, most Mayan text can be read, but still some are unknown. Mayan text is very mysterious, and the writing is very hard and complicated. It is one of the most complex writing systems ever found.