To the hearts and minds of ancient people. Their decipherment is one of the greatest challenges facing archaeologists today. We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says, were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whistle signals the end of play. But why a whistle . Why not a gong . Why a striped shirt and not a plaid one . The choice is arbitrary. But within this culture, the meaning is mutually accepted. The use of symbols is the single most distinguishing feature of any culture. But as distinct as they are, all symbols are used for the same purpose to communica, manipulate, and prese
Flourished from the third to the ninth century in a far flung collection of citystates. At palenque, tonina, bonampak and other cities, dynastic kings ruled absolutely, controlling trade and tribute. They presided over intricate hierarchies of nobles and officials at courts resplendent with works of art. Maya culture, shrouded in a mystery as dense as the forests in which it took root, revealed itself fitfully over three centuries. When the ruins in the jungle were first discovered, there was no way of understanding how the civilization was organized. So its really through the inscriptions that weve been able to identify kings, to find out their capitals, their seats of power. And through this, we recognize now that there were many kingdoms. There was no unified maya state. There wasnt even just a few states. There were many, many states. narrator the first inroads into understanding the maya were made by spanish missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries who followed in the imperial
About life among the maya . From ancient sumer, clay tablets reveal astonishing details about daily life 5,000 years ago, and tell the story of the invention of writing. Symbols can be the gateway to the hearts and minds of ancient people. Their decipherment is one of the greatest challenges facing archaeologists today. We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says, were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whistle signals the end of play. But why a whistle . Why not a gong . Why a striped shirt and not a plaid one . The choice is arbitrary. But within this culture, the meaning is mutua
From ancient sumer clay tablets reveal astonishing details about daily life 5,000 years ago, and tell the story of the invention of writing. Symbols can be the gateway to the hearts and minds of ancient people. Their decipherment is one of the greatest challenges facing archaeologists today. We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whistle signals the end of play. But why a whistle . Why not a gong . Why a striped shirt and not a plaid one . The choice is arbitrary. But within this culture, the meaning is mutually accepted. The use of symbo
At palenque, tonina bonampak and other cities, dynastic kings ruled absolutely, controlling trade and tribute. They presided over intricate hierarchies of nobles and officials at courts resplendent with works of art. Maya culture, shrouded in a mystery as dense as the forests in which it took root, revealed itself fitfully over three centuries. When the ruins in the jungle were first discovered, there was no way of understanding how the civilization was organized. So its really through the inscriptions that weve been able to identify kings to find out their capitals their seats of power. And through this we recognize now that there were many kingdoms. There was no unified maya state. There wasnt even just a few states. There were many, many states. narrator the first inroads into understanding the maya were made by spanish missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries who followed in the imperial wake of hernan cortes. Their discoveries included the ruins at copan. But interest in the st