Decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing has progressed to the point
where most Maya written texts--whether inscribed on monuments, written
in the codices, or painted or incised on ceramics--can now be read with
confidence.
In this practical guide, first published in 2001, Michael D. Coe, the
noted Mayanist, and Mark Van Stone, an accomplished calligrapher, have
made the difficult, often mysterious script accessible to the
nonspecialist. They decipher real Maya texts, and the transcriptions
include a picture of the glyph, the pronunciation, the Maya words in
Roman type, and the translation into English. For the second edition,
the authors have taken the latest research and breakthroughs into
account, adding glyphs, updating captions, and reinterpreting or
expanding upon earlier decipherments.
After an introductory discussion of Maya culture and history and the
nature of the Maya script, the authors introduce the glyphs in a series
of chapters that elaborate on topics such as the intricate calendar,
warfare, royal lives and rituals, politics, dynastic names, ceramics,
relationships, and the supernatural world. The book includes
illustrations of historic texts, a syllabary, a lexicon, and translation
exercises.
