Astronomy in the Maya Codices
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Harvey M. Bricker
About this book
The Precolumbian Maya were closely attuned to the movements of the Sun and the Moon, the stars and the planets. Their rituals and daily tasks were performed according to a timetable established by these celestial bodies, a timetable based on a highly complex calendar system. Agriculture provided the foundation for their civilization, and the skies served as a kind of farmer’s almanac for when to plant and when to harvest. In this remarkable volume, noted Maya scholars Harvey Bricker and Victoria Bricker offer invaluable insight into the complex world of the Precolumbian Maya, and in particular the amazing achievements of Maya astronomy, as revealed in the Maya codices the indigenous hieroglyphic books written before the Spanish Conquest. This far-reaching study confirms that, independent of the Old World traditions that gave rise to modern Western astronomy, the Precolumbian Maya achieved a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy based on observations recorded over centuries. Illus.
Topics
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Frontmatter
I -
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Contents
VII -
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List of Figures
XI -
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Preface
XXIII - 1 The Maya and Their Codices
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A. Introduction
3 -
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B. The Dresden Codex: Description and Known History
4 -
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C. The Paris Codex: Description and Known History
11 -
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D. The Madrid Codex: Description and Known History
19 -
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E. The Grolier Codex: Description and Known History
26 - 2 Astronomical Concepts and Terminology
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A. Western Calendars and Time Reckoning
29 -
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B. The Location of Celestial Objects
31 -
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C. The Solar Year and Its Stations
34 -
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D. Cyclical Movements of the Planets
38 -
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E. The Moon
50 -
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F. Eclipses
53 -
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G. Stars and Star Patterns
59 - 3 Maya Calendrical Cycles and Their Notations
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A. The Number System
66 -
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B. The Haab, the Tzolkin, and the Calendar Round
67 -
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C. Initial Series Dates and the Maya Era
71 -
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D. Distance Numbers
74 -
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E. Other Calendrical Notations
75 - 4 The Correlation of Maya and Western Calendars
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A. The Need for a Correlation
77 -
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B. The Death of Napot Xiu
77 -
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C. The Chronicle of Oxkutzcab
79 -
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D. Other Correlational Statements
85 -
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E. An Alternative Numbering System for Katuns
87 -
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F. Correlation with the European Calendar to the Exact Day
90 -
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G. Astronomy and the Correlation
93 -
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H. The Question of 584,285
94 - 5 The Structure of Maya Codices
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A. Layout and Reading Order
100 -
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B. Almanacs
101 -
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C. Tables
106 -
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D. Other Kinds of Codical Instruments
107 -
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E. Techniques for Determining Historicity
108 - 6 Deities and Ceremonies
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A. Deities
111 -
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B. Ceremonies
120 - 7 The Natural Environment and Agriculture
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A. The Maya Lowlands
149 -
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B. Climate, Geology, and Hydrology
150 -
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C. The Forest
154 -
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D. The Animals
156 -
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E. Slash-and-Burn Agriculture in the Ethnographic Present
157 - 8 Venus and Mercury
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A. The Venus Table in the Dresden Codex
163 -
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B. The Venus Almanac in the Grolier Codex (G.l-G.10/11)
219 -
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C. The Katun Page in the Dresden Codex (D.60)
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D. A Venus-Mercury Almanac in the Dresden Codex
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E. The Planet Venus and the Maya
245 - 9 Eclipses
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A. The Eclipse Table in the Dresden Codex
249 -
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B. The Eclipse Almanac in the Dresden Codex
342 -
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C. The Eclipse Almanac in the Madrid Codex
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D. The Katun Pages in the Paris Codex
357 -
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E. Eclipses and the Maya
363 - 10 Mars
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A. The Synodic Mars table in the Dresden Codex
367 -
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B. The Synodic Mars Almanac in the Madrid Codex
394 -
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C. The Water Tables in the Dresden Codex
398 -
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D. The Incomplete Planetary Table in the Dresden Codex
469 -
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E. The Planet Mars and the Maya
485 - 11 Seasons of the Tropical Year
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A. The Seasonal Tables in the Dresden Codex
489 -
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B. The Seasonal Almanacs in the Madrid Codex (
550 -
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C. The In Extenso Almanac in the Madrid Codex
565 -
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D. The Rainmaking Almanac in the Dresden Codex (D.29b-D.30b)
590 -
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E. The Double Almanac in the Dresden Codex
596 -
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F. The God C Almanacs in the Paris Codex (
605 -
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G. The Tropical-Year Almanac in the Madrid Codex
627 -
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H. The Spliced Table in the Dresden Codex
637 -
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I. The Burner Almanac in the Dresden Codex
660 -
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J. The Conjugal Almanac in the Dresden Codex
674 -
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K. The Bird Almanac in the Madrid Codex
679 -
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L. The Year of the Seasons and the Maya
682 - 12 Stars
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A. The Zodiacal Almanac in the Paris Codex
691 -
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B. The Calendar-Round Almanac in the Madrid Codex
768 -
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C. The God P Yearbearer Almanac in the Madrid Codex
827 -
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D. The Milky Way in the Maya Codices
833 -
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E. The Stars and the Maya
836 -
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13 The Astronomical Knowledge of the Ancient Maya
840 -
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APPENDIX A The Question of Jupiter and Saturn
847 -
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APPENDIX B Concordance between the Terminology Used in This Book for Instruments in the Dresden Codex and the Gates-Thompson Terminology
855 -
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Glossary
857 -
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References Cited
861 -
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Index
887