Hieroglyphic Panel

Description

The Maya developed hieroglyphic writing to record the names, births, marriages, alliances, victories and coronations, and deaths of their rulers. Mythological events and religious happenings were also carefully chronicled. Today scholars are deciphering this script and linking the translated information to additional archaeological evidence in order to reconstruct ancient Maya history, belief, and culture. This fragment from a hieroglyphic panel contains calendrical information that was part of a longer text.

Provenance

Edward H. Merrin Gallery, New York, by 1969 [incoming receipt, RX7290, Dec. 22, 1969; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1969.

Hieroglyphic Panel

Maya

650–800

Accession Number

33231

Medium

Limestone

Dimensions

28.6 × 26.7 × 3.8 cm (11 1/4 × 10 1/2 × 1 1/4 in.)

Classification

stone

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Claire B. Zeisler Foundation