science
Archaeologists Identify Possible Name of Maya Scribe in Guatemalan Mural
Guatemala's Ministry of Culture announced that researchers transcribed symbols at the San Bartolo-Xultun site to reveal the name Sak Tahn Waax. The find includes a complete mathematical and astronomical formula from the Maya Classic period. CBS News reported the discovery on Monday.
Jul 14, 7:19 AM·1m read1 source
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Archaeologists have identified the name of an ancient Maya astronomer and mathematician for the first time by transcribing mural symbols at the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site, CBS News reported. The name Sak Tahn Waax, translated as White-chested Fox, appeared in drawings dating from 400 BC to 900 AD at the site on Guatemala's border with Mexico.
Culture Minister Luis Mendez said researchers at Xultun uncovered a complete mathematical and astronomical formula authored by Sak Tahn Waax.
He stated that the work is the only one of its kind attributed to a mathematician from the Maya Classic period. The discovery resulted from epigraphic analysis of more than 50 mathematical and astronomical microtexts on the wall, the ministry said. Researchers identified calculations and tables that use astronomical and calendrical units of time.
They combined drawings, photographs, and scans of the inscriptions, which were digitally enhanced to reveal 11 hieroglyphs. Mendez said the glyphs appeared in a context where art was intertwined with science, mathematics, astronomy, and everyday life.
Last year the culture ministry announced that archaeologists had unearthed the remains of a Mayan city nearly 3,000 years old in northern Guatemala, complete with pyramids and monuments.
