Dresden Codex – Probably The Oldest And Best Preserved Book Of The Maya
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Only four Mayan pictorial manuscripts have survived the organized book-burnings of Franciscan missionaries following the Spanish Conquest.
None of these pre-Conquest manuscripts, record chronicles or any type of history; they instead contain astronomy, divination, rituals and calendars.
Codex Dresden or Codex Dresdens is superior to the other three surviving Mayan codices. It's the oldest and best-preserved book of the Maya, which was written and painted on amatl paper (made from the bark of a ficus tree), around 1200 and 1250 in the Yucatan Peninsula.
It was purchased for the Dresden court library in 1739 in Vienna, Austria as a 'Mexican book' and in 1853 it was identified as a Mayan manuscript.
Dresden Codex
Artistically the Dresden Codex is superior to the other three surviving Mayan codices.
The Dresden Codex is 3.5 meters long, fan folded into 39, 9 centimeter wide pages, 20.4 centimeters high and painted on both sides. The paper itself is made from the fibers of a species of Ficus tree, called Amate in Yukatek, and coated with a fine layer of lime plaster. While the texts and numbers are painted in thin line red and black, the associated images are illustrated in beautiful polychromatic detail.
Scholars have suggested that Dresden is the work of no less than eight distinct scribes.
It contains various almanacs, divination calendars, astronomical tables, ritual regulations, and numerous representations of gods and calendars of Venus.
The Dresden Codex is a key document for the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphs and for the study of astronomy and chronology of the Maya.
While many other codices from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica exist, only the Dresden, Paris, Madrid, and Grolier Codices were written by the Maya. Exactly where the Dresden was written remains unknown.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Mysterious Gympie Pyramid: Evidence Of An Ancient Lost Civilization In Australia?
Civilizations | Feb 13, 2020
-
Genetic Evidence Reveals: Chachapoyas “Cloud People” Resistant To Inca Rule
Archaeology | Dec 14, 2017
-
Ancient Fossils Reveal Climate Altered Humans’ Body And Brain Size
Archaeology | Jul 8, 2021
-
Mystery Of The 30,000-Year-Old Venus Of Willendorf Solved?
Archaeology | Feb 28, 2022
-
Ancient Mystery Of The Menorah – Enigmatic Sacred Object With Complex History
Featured Stories | Nov 5, 2018
-
1,500-Year-Old Fingerprints Will Say Much About Potters And Communities That Once Lived In Motza
Archaeology | Nov 10, 2022
-
Forbidden Underwater Discovery Could Re-Write Ancient History But The Investigation Was Stopped
Featured Stories | Aug 27, 2019
-
Extremely Rare And Tiny Biblical Coins Discovered Near The Temple Mount
Archaeology | May 30, 2018
-
Many Samurai Had Swords With Secret Crucifixes And Hidden Christian Symbols To Avoid Persecution
Ancient History Facts | Jan 10, 2017
-
Ancient Mysteries Of Chicago: Is The Puzzling Waubansee Stone A Neglected Pre-Columbian Artifact?
Artifacts | Mar 4, 2017
-
Natural Dyes To Color Clothing Were Used Thousands Of Years Ago – New Study
Archaeology | Apr 22, 2019
-
Mysterious Gosford Glyphs: Remarkable Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Discovered In Australia Could Re-Write History
Featured Stories | Feb 20, 2020
-
‘Skeleton Mosaic’ – 2,400-Year-Old Scenes Depicted On Glass Artwork Found In Turkey
Archaeology | Apr 23, 2016
-
Castor And Pollux: Dioscuri Brothers Immortalized In The Night Sky In Greek Beliefs
Featured Stories | Jan 24, 2024
-
Durendal – Magical Sword Of Knight Roland That Cut Stone Boulders With A Single Strike
Featured Stories | Jan 19, 2022
-
Who Were The First Icelanders?
Archaeology | Jun 4, 2018
-
Cousin-Marriages Were Uncommon In The Ancient World
Archaeology | Sep 14, 2021
-
Secrets Of The Ancient Children Of The Moon Whose God Came From Outer Space In A Shining Flying Disc
Featured Stories | Jun 1, 2020
-
Strange Ancient Labyrinth City Under The Sands Of The Kara Kum Desert Reveals Its Secrets
Civilizations | Sep 29, 2014
-
A 1,500-Year-Old Holy Well Probably With Healing Water – Discovered In Bulgaria
Archaeology | Nov 25, 2020