What is the codex Dresden?
The codex depicts hieroglyphs and numerals and figures, and contains ritual and divination calendars, calculations of the phases of Venus, eclipses of the sun and moon, instructions relating to new-year ceremonies, and descriptions of the locations of the Rain God, which culminate in a full-page miniature showing a …
Why is the Dresden Codex so important?
The codex has played a key role in the deciphering of Mayan hieroglyphs. Dresden librarian Ernst Wilhelm Förstemann published the first complete facsimile in 1880. Förstemann determined that these numbers, along with deities and day names, related to the Mayan calendar and the Mayan Long Count calendar.
Are there any surviving Mayans?
The largest populations of contemporary Maya inhabit Guatemala, Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador, as well as large segments of population within the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas.
How many Mayan codices survived?
four
Unfortunately, zealous Spanish priests destroyed most of these codices during the conquest and colonial era and today only four examples survive. The four surviving Maya codices mostly contain information about Maya astronomy, astrology, religion, rituals, and Gods.
Who found the Dresden Codex?
The codex was acquired by the Saxon State Library, Dresden, Saxony, and was published by Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough, in Antiquities of Mexico (1830–48). King erroneously attributed the codex to the Aztecs. The first scientific edition of the codex was made by E. Förstemann (Leipzig, 1880).
Where did the Dresden Codex get its name?
The Dresden Codex is one of four hieroglyphic Maya codices that survived the Spanish Inquisition in the New World. Three, the Dresden, Madrid, and Paris codices, are named after the city where they were ultimately rediscovered. The fourth is the Grolier Codex, located at the Grolier Club in New York City.
How many pages are there in the Dresden Codex?
The Dresden Codex contains 78 pages with decorative board covers on the front and back. Most pages have writing on both sides. They have a border of red paint, although many have lost this framing due to age deterioration.
When did Ernst Forstemann publish the Dresden Codex?
In 1880, and again in 1892, Ernst Förstemann published the Dresden, in photochromolithographic editions, with perhaps only 60 copies produced in each edition (Gates, booklet with “The Dresden Codex”, 1932). These have, of course, become extremely rare, and I have never seen an 1880 or 1892 copy for sale.
Who is the rain god in the Dresden Codex?
The religious references show in a cycle of a 260-day ritual calendar the important Maya royal events. The codex also includes information on the Maya new-year ceremony tradition. The rain god Chaac is represented 134 times.