First published 1997
Harris presents a comprehensive guide to Maya hieroglyphic writing systems in this updated second edition. The book combines three previously published works on Maya script analysis into a single teaching resource. Harris introduces current analytical methods for reading Maya inscriptions and demonstrates computational techniques for Maya calendar systems. The volume provides accepted orthographic standards, syllabary structures, and syntactic patterns used in Maya texts. Harris suggests fresh interpretations of glyph meanings while presenting multiple scholarly viewpoints on contested readings. The book serves both beginning students seeking self-instruction and experienced researchers requiring reference materials. Harris emphasizes practical application over theoretical discussion, offering concrete tools for understanding Maya written language.
Genres: history, reference, archaeology, academic
Vibes: academic, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-study, reference-material
Setting: Maya
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
260 pages · Paperback · University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology