Post by blackcrowheart on Dec 16, 2005 0:19:41 GMT -5
Oldest Maya Mural Uncovered in Guatemala
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science WriterWed Dec 14,10:22 AM ET
Archaeologist William Saturno said Tuesday he was awe-struck when he
uncovered a Maya mural not seen for nearly two millennia. Discovered at
the San Bartolo site in Guatemala, the mural covers the west wall of a
room attached to a pyramid, Saturno said at a briefing.
In brilliant color, the mural tells the Maya story of creation, he said.
It was painted about 100 B.C., but later covered when the room was
filled in.
"It could have been painted yesterday," Saturno said in a briefing
organized by the National Geographic Society, which supported his work
and will detail the finding in the January issue of its magazine.
Saturno, of the University of New Hampshire, first reported discovery of
the site in 2002 when he stopped to rest in the jungle, taking shelter
in an old trench that turned out to be part of the ancient room.
Since then the west and north walls have been uncovered. The room's
other walls had been demolished and used for fill, he said. The west
wall was the centerpiece of the room, Saturno said.
The mural includes four deities, which are variations of the same
figure, the son of the corn god.
As Saturno explained it: The first deity stands in the water and offers
a fish, establishing the watery underworld. The second stands on the
ground and sacrifices a deer, establishing the land. The third floats in
the air, offering a turkey, establishing the sky. The fourth stands in a
field of flowers, the food of gods, establishing paradise.
Another section shows the corn god crowning himself king upon a wooden
scaffold, and the final section shows a historic coronation of a Maya
king.
Some of the writing can be understood, Saturno said, but much of it is
so old it is hard to decipher.
Nearby, archaeologists led by Guatemalan Monica Pellecer Alecio found
the oldest known Maya royal burial, from around 150 B.C. Excavating
beneath a small pyramid, that team found a burial complex that included
ceramic vessels and the bones of a man, with a jade plaque — the symbol
of Maya royalty — on his chest.
___
On the Net:
National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science WriterWed Dec 14,10:22 AM ET
Archaeologist William Saturno said Tuesday he was awe-struck when he
uncovered a Maya mural not seen for nearly two millennia. Discovered at
the San Bartolo site in Guatemala, the mural covers the west wall of a
room attached to a pyramid, Saturno said at a briefing.
In brilliant color, the mural tells the Maya story of creation, he said.
It was painted about 100 B.C., but later covered when the room was
filled in.
"It could have been painted yesterday," Saturno said in a briefing
organized by the National Geographic Society, which supported his work
and will detail the finding in the January issue of its magazine.
Saturno, of the University of New Hampshire, first reported discovery of
the site in 2002 when he stopped to rest in the jungle, taking shelter
in an old trench that turned out to be part of the ancient room.
Since then the west and north walls have been uncovered. The room's
other walls had been demolished and used for fill, he said. The west
wall was the centerpiece of the room, Saturno said.
The mural includes four deities, which are variations of the same
figure, the son of the corn god.
As Saturno explained it: The first deity stands in the water and offers
a fish, establishing the watery underworld. The second stands on the
ground and sacrifices a deer, establishing the land. The third floats in
the air, offering a turkey, establishing the sky. The fourth stands in a
field of flowers, the food of gods, establishing paradise.
Another section shows the corn god crowning himself king upon a wooden
scaffold, and the final section shows a historic coronation of a Maya
king.
Some of the writing can be understood, Saturno said, but much of it is
so old it is hard to decipher.
Nearby, archaeologists led by Guatemalan Monica Pellecer Alecio found
the oldest known Maya royal burial, from around 150 B.C. Excavating
beneath a small pyramid, that team found a burial complex that included
ceramic vessels and the bones of a man, with a jade plaque — the symbol
of Maya royalty — on his chest.
___
On the Net:
National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com