Pre-classic "Maya"

[Guest]

here is another article on looted treasure, don't know if this fits here but it is related:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 259638.stm

[Minimalist]

Dig We Must!

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlene ... ived=False

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (Reuters) - Experts are examining the ruins of a pre-Columbian culture in an area of Honduras where there had been no previous evidence of major indigenous civilization.

The site, discovered earlier this year, consists of 14 mounds that form part of what are believed to be ceremonial grounds, the Honduran Institute of Anthropology said.

"They are part of a very important site, a governing center of a pre-Columbian civilization," Oscar Neils, the institute's head of research, told Reuters. "We had no idea that there was a pre-Columbian culture in this area."

[War Arrow]

I have been reading up on all the old threads, a few at a time. Trying not to post something you've already beaten to death, ya know. Found this thread and this link:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/20 ... ajesty.php

and decided they ought to be together(even though the name of the thread is pre-classic Maya). So there you have it.

Ditto with the old threads. I was looking for something else entirely when I came across this

The Nuttall Codex is named after Zelia Nuttall, the scholar who identified and published it. Housed in the Museum of Mankind of the British Museum in London, the Nuttall depicts significant historical figures and episodes in Mixtec history. Historical figures are named by a day sign (a number from 1 to 13 represented by dots, plus the symbol for one of the 20 named days), such as 3-Flint. This day sign name is believed to have been used to represent a person's day of birth. An interesting feature of the Nuttall is that it depicts ca. 180 representations of women, nearly all of them portrayed in responsible positions.

http://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/exhibi ... xtec2.html
which I knew Star had posted on at some point (well, same country, vaguely related culture etc)...

[stan]

Dig We Must!

Yeah! I hope somebody respnsible can beat the tomb
raiders to the place...

[Starflower]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/11/2 ... 1127131530

Thought I would put this here as I couldn't remember which thread had the recent discussion about ancient ball games.

Some ancient civilizations may have had an ear — not just an eye — for architecture. Two recent studies suggest early builders intentionally added unusual, and often psychedelic, sound effects to their structures.

The unusual acoustics on the court likely added an eerie ambiance to the play. The effect was perhaps appropriate, considering the competition's losers were sometimes sacrificed after a defeat, according to Lubman.

The whispering galleries work by pushing sound waves along the playing field. The effect is similar to that produced by speaking through a long tube, which conserves sound energy and reduces losses.

Historical Maya writings paint a fuller picture of the games once played on the court, telling of hallucinogenic drugs that may have further heightened the auditory illusions. Fragrant incense has also been unearthed at the site.

[War Arrow]

Hello Star! I was impressed by the sound effects you get from the Temple of the Plumed Serpent at Teotihuacan ("plumed serpent"? rant rave gibber - fools - it's a plumed jaguar! - sorry, I'll save my loony heresies for another thread) - where you stand in front of the steps and make a sharp sound (two stones banged together) which comes back like a scatter of tiny echoes, each one at a slightly lower pitch to the last and producing a sort of swanee whistle sound. The local guides all say it replicates the sound of a calling Quetzal, although that sounds a bit too pretty to be true (and I'm fairly certain you don't get quetzal's that far west, not by at least 500 miles). To be honest I'm not even sure these acoustics weren't just happy accidents rather than products of deliberate design. Not that that makes them any less impressive or entertaining.