Task 1.1 - Mayan Scripts (11/16)

Mayan Scripts

The Mayan civilisation lasted from about 500 BC to 1200 AD. Mayan hieroglyphs (300 BC) consist of hundreds of unique glyphs, therefore this writing is quite complex. These glyphs or logograms express different meaning. It also consists of syllabograms which are used to write phrases or sentences. The Mayans had different but related cultures and languages. The picture explains how each block contains one to five glyphs, which often forms a phrase.

An interesting fact is that the Mayan calendar also consists of 365 days but it is divided in 18 months (20 days each month), and the first day of each month is 0 instead of 1. Also the first month of the year is 0 therefore the first day of the first month (Pop) is 0 Pop.

This shows all 18 months of the year. The first month is 0 (Pop)

Ancient Scripts, 2014. Maya. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ancientscripts.com/maya.html. [Accessed 03 March 2014].

Omniglot, 2014. Mayan hieroglyphic script and languages. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/mayan.htm. [Accessed 03 March 2014].