4 ms·

So the Maya had a full writing system since about 300 BCE. I guess we're just going to ignore that?

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
danielodievich 4y ago
Maya's system of writing is very comprehensively destroyed and is completely unrecoverable. A plug here for the fantastic Fall of Civilizations podcast (https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/ https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/). It's Maya episode is incredibly riveting and informative (episode 3, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFaRXeep5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFaRXeep5Y) and goes at length into that exact destruction.
- epicureanideal 4y ago
  Yes, Fall of Civilizations is an amazing podcast. The Sumerian episode is also great, but all of them are equal to the best documentaries I’ve watched anywhere.
- MikePlacid 4y ago
  Maya writing system is decoded to a great extent, the history of which decoding is an interesting story in itself: http://share.nook.com/ean/9780500770610 http://share.nook.com/ean/9780500770610 Breaking the Maya Code (Third edition) by Michael D. Coe. And since the language (a group of descendent languages) is still in use, the writing system can potentially get back into active use. The probability (and benefits) seem low though.
  - suzzer99 4y ago
    On top of that it's even being taught to Maya schoolchildren, marking the first time a culture has ever lost their writing, then gotten it back.
csomar 4y ago
The Americas had some interesting civilizations. Many other parts of the world had some interesting civilizations too. The thing, the one that are given the highlights are the Western ones due to colonialism/neo-colonialism. If you do some travelling and some research, you'll find that many of the stuff in museums was just hyped up. There are a lot of other civilization/artifacts that should have been worth more. But they don't get any highlights, so they are mostly forgotten.
lovelearning 4y ago
There's a circular overlay near the west coast of Africa that seems to show the use of writing in central America. Anyway, I don't think it matters that much. I checked the channel, and I came away with the feeling that it should probably not be treated as a particularly accurate or credible channel. They don't mention their sources or their credentials. It seems to be a history and cartography hobbyist channel and that's how I treat it -- as a starting point to dig deeper if I spot something interesting.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

Maya's system of writing is very comprehensively destroyed and is completely unrecoverable. A plug here for the fantastic Fall of Civilizations podcast (https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/ https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/). It's Maya episode is incredibly riveting and informative (episode 3, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFaRXeep5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFaRXeep5Y) and goes at length into that exact destruction.

epicureanideal 4y ago
Yes, Fall of Civilizations is an amazing podcast. The Sumerian episode is also great, but all of them are equal to the best documentaries I’ve watched anywhere.
MikePlacid 4y ago
Maya writing system is decoded to a great extent, the history of which decoding is an interesting story in itself: http://share.nook.com/ean/9780500770610 http://share.nook.com/ean/9780500770610 Breaking the Maya Code (Third edition) by Michael D. Coe. And since the language (a group of descendent languages) is still in use, the writing system can potentially get back into active use. The probability (and benefits) seem low though.
- suzzer99 4y ago
  On top of that it's even being taught to Maya schoolchildren, marking the first time a culture has ever lost their writing, then gotten it back.

csomar 4y ago

The Americas had some interesting civilizations. Many other parts of the world had some interesting civilizations too. The thing, the one that are given the highlights are the Western ones due to colonialism/neo-colonialism. If you do some travelling and some research, you'll find that many of the stuff in museums was just hyped up. There are a lot of other civilization/artifacts that should have been worth more. But they don't get any highlights, so they are mostly forgotten.

lovelearning 4y ago

There's a circular overlay near the west coast of Africa that seems to show the use of writing in central America. Anyway, I don't think it matters that much. I checked the channel, and I came away with the feeling that it should probably not be treated as a particularly accurate or credible channel. They don't mention their sources or their credentials. It seems to be a history and cartography hobbyist channel and that's how I treat it -- as a starting point to dig deeper if I spot something interesting.