Notes on the Decipherment of Hieroglyphic Writing and Mesoamerican Language

LING1121 Language Myths and Realities

Famous Decipherments of Ancient Languages

  • Jean-François Champollion:

    • Developed grammar and dictionary for Coptic language.
    • Used the Rosetta Stone to decipher Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, which contained texts in three scripts: Hieroglyphic Egyptian, Demotic Egyptian, and Greek.
    • Noted that Coptic is a descendant of Pharaonic Egyptian.

  • Michael Ventris:

    • Deciphered the Cretan Linear B script in 1952.
    • Identified the language of Minoan-Mycenaean culture as Greek.
    • The script is characterized as a syllabary of 87 signs.

From Proto-writing to Writing

  • Kish Tablet (circa 3500 BC): Early example of pictographic proto-cuneiform.
  • Proto-cuneiform (circa 3100–2900 BC): Used by the Sumerians.
  • Assyrian cuneiform syllabary (circa 650 BC): Evolved from earlier systems.

Mesoamerican Language Families

  • Uto-Aztecan family: Includes languages across the southwestern United States and Mexico.
  • Distinct families such as Mayan, Totonacan, and Otomanguean languages represented.

Isthmus / La Mojarra / Epi-Olmec Script

  • One of the earliest writing systems in Mesoamerica from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico).
  • Justeson and Kaufman (1993; 1997): Claimed partial decipherment suggesting a Zoquean language.
  • The decipherment is not broadly accepted; language of inscriptions remains unconfirmed.

The Mayan Civilization

  • Pre-classic Period (2000 BC - 250 AD): Emergence of cities around 750 BC.
  • Classic Period (250 AD - 900 AD): Development of city-states with monumental architecture and hieroglyphic documentation.
    • Most city-states collapse around 900 AD due to drought and environmental degradation.
  • Post-classic Period (900 AD - 1539 AD): Smaller cities, some remaining prominent until the Spanish conquest (1511-1697).

Significant Classic and Postclassic Maya Sites

  • Classic Sites: Tikal (Guatemala), Copán (Honduras), Palenque (Mexico), and Yaxchilán (Mexico).
  • Postclassic Sites: Chichen Itzá, Uxmal (both in Yucatán) and Zaculeu (Guatemala).

Mayan Codices

  • Only four Mayan Hieroglyphic codices survive:
    • Madrid Codex, Dresden Codex, Paris Codex, Grolier Codex.
  • At least 27 additional codices were destroyed in 1562 by Fray Diego de Landa.

Mayan Epigraphy: The Study of Inscriptions

  • Stelae and lintels generally record dates and the significant deeds of ruling elites.
  • Most begin with the long count, indicating the number of days since the mythical creation date (August 11, 3114 BCE).

The Mayan Calendar

  • Cyclical nature: Comprised of overlapping cycles.
  • Tzolkin: A sacred 260-day cycle (13 numbers intermeshed with 20 named days).
  • Haab: A 365-day year with 19 months (18 months of 20 days and 1 month of 5 days).

Maya Vigesimal Numerals (Base 20)

  • Examples of numerals:
    • 0 = \(0\) ; 5 = \(ho\) ; 10 = \(lahun\) ; 20 = \(20\) ; etc.
  • Numerals utilize bars (5) and dots (1).

Decipherment Requirements for Ancient Scripts

  1. Must have a large database with texts of adequate length.
  2. Ancient language must be known or reconstructible.
  3. Bilingual inscription necessary for comparison.
  4. Knowledge of cultural context (place names, royal names).
  5. Pictorial references should accompany logographic scripts.

Orthography and Sign Count in Scripts

  • Examples of scripts:
    • Logographic: Sumerian (600+ signs), Egyptian (2500), Chinese (5000).
    • Syllabic: Linear B (87 signs), Cherokee (85).
    • Mayan Script: Approximately 1100 signs known.

Ideographic Script Perceptions

  • Pre-1950s: Thought to be primarily ideographic.
  • Misconception led to delayed decipherment as early epigraphers failed to recognize phonetic elements of the signs.

Key Contributions to Decipherment

  • Diego de Landa: Provided crucial documentation in Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán (1566).
  • Yuri Knorosov: Suggested Mayan script is partly logographic and syllabic based on analyses of existing codices.
  • Thompson vs. Knorosov: Discoveries contested; acceptance of Knorosov's work grew after Thompson's era.

Insight into Hieroglyphic Writing

  • The preferred word order generally in Mayan languages is Verb-Object-Subject (VOS).
  • Hieroglyphs linked to specific cities or lineages, revealing detailed historic records.

Summary of Key Points

  • The Maya civilization developed a rich hieroglyphic script with significant historical and cultural implications.
  • Understanding and deciphering this script involved contributions from various scholars over centuries, emphasizing the complexity of the writing system.
  • Many inscriptions detail events and ruling families, thus offering insights into ancient Maya society and culture.

Undeciphered Scripts

  • Indus Valley script, Linear A, Rongorongo, and others remain mysterious and unsolved within the field of epigraphy.

Further Readings

  • Coe, Michael D. (2012). Breaking the Maya Code.
  • Proskouriakoff, T. (1960). Historical Implications of a Pattern of Dates at Piedras Negras.
  • Houston, S., Robertson, J., & Stuart, D. (2000). The Language of Classic Maya Inscriptions.