The wonderful PBS series Nova has created another excellent historical feature, which airs tonight: “Cracking the Maya Code“:
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script, carved on monuments, painted on pottery, and drawn in handmade bark-paper books. For centuries, scholars considered it too complex ever to understand—until recently, when an ingenious series of breakthroughs finally cracked the code and unleashed a torrent of new insights into the Mayas’ turbulent past. For the first time, NOVA presents the epic inside story of how the decoding was done—traveling to the remote jungles of southern Mexico and Central America to investigate how the code was broken and what Maya writings now reveal.
As usual, the Nova website offers numerous interactive features which let you get right inside the topic, as well as a short preview video. Make sure you take a look at the show if it airs in your location. But if you can’t, head back to the website after April 9th and you can watch it all online! (h/t Cosmic Log)
