Mayan Artwork Uncovered in a Guatemalan Forest
1. Describe what the archaeologists discovered in Guatemala.
2. What is known about the room?
3. What do the paintings and numbers depict?
4. How old are these paintings? Why is it so rare that they have survived?
5. How are Mayan numbers written? What do these numbers prove?
1. The archaeologists discovered a hidden room deep in a Guatemalan forest that was full of pristine Mayan artwork.
2. The room is believed to have been a workshop, possibly used by an ancient scribe or a group of scribes to record important events or sacred texts.
3. The paintings in the room depict intricate scenes from Mayan mythology and daily life, including images of gods, animals, and humans. The numbers found alongside the paintings are believed to be ancient Mayan numerical glyphs.
4. These paintings are estimated to be around 2,500 years old, making them one of the oldest and best-preserved examples of Mayan artwork ever found. It is rare for such delicate paintings to survive because they were often created on perishable materials like wood or cotton.
5. Mayan numbers are written using a combination of dots and bars. A dot represents one, and a bar represents five. These numbers prove the advanced mathematical knowledge and system the Mayans possessed, as they were able to perform complex calculations and record them using their unique numerical glyphs.