Product Description

This unique and extraordinary guide to seven major sites of Maya civilization highlights the pioneering work of two great scholars of ancient America. For readers at every level -- from the casual tourist to the serious student -- The Code of Kings relies on Linda Schele and Peter Mathews's revolutionary work in the decipherment of the hieroglyphs that cover the surfaces of Maya ruins to give us a far clearer picture of Maya culture than we have ever had.

Richly illustrated with line art and the incomparable photography of Justin Kerr and Macduff Everton, The Code of Kings is a landmark contribution to our understanding of the Maya and a phenomenal guided tour of seven of the most awesome and magical spots on Earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130842 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780684852096
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Library Journal
Building on what was already known and on some ideas from other scholars, Schele (The Blood of Kings, LJ 10/15/93) and Mathews (archaeology, Univ. of Calgary) used the syntactic approach to break the Maya glyph code, making it possible to learn about Maya customs and beliefs where scholars previously had to guess about the meaning of what they found. Here the authors deal with the glyphs and the architecture of seven sites to explain their uses. The names of some are well known, even though their true purpose and function were not understood in the past. Some questions remain unanswered, but there are also new insights into the beliefs of the Maya. This well-illustrated tour of Maya ruins also has a key to pronunciation and a glossary of gods and supernaturals that add interest for the casual reader. Recommended.?Marilyn K. Dailey, Natrona Cty. P.L., Casper, Wy.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Mayan civilization, with its hieroglyphic writing and dazzling city ruins, is among the most spectacular in the world. Mayanists Schele and Mathews explain the recently deciphered script and give a vivid guided tour through the cities. Focusing on seven of the most famous buildings in Mayan archaeology, these experts show how the Maya used glyphs to literally inscribe their architecture with accounts of their history and sacred myths. The buildings described include the palace at Tikal, a shrine to the celebrated "Great-Jaguar-Claw," who, like George Washington to Americans, symbolized his city for centuries; and King Pakal's tomb, whose construction and inscriptions this patron of the arts, obsessed with preserving his memory for posterity and his soul for the afterlife, spent his last years overseeing. Stories of the text-covered monuments of Mayan kings will intrigue serious readers who seek depth of coverage on this civilization but will also appeal to those who simply want to dip into archaeology's mysteries. Philip Herbst

Review
Sherman Suter Science Linda Schele and Peter Mathews offer a detailed introduction to the politics, religion, and histories recorded in the architecture and art of the ancient Maya. -- Review

Customer Reviews

Extraordinarily insightful
As a professional archaeologist I found this one of the most insightful books on the Maya I've ever read--and what a pleasure it is. You really catch the excitement of the hunt for the soul of the Maya, from two terrific key scholars. No one has ever tried this approach before, delving the "Maya mysteries" by deeply (and clearly) illustrating the finds and exploring the meanings associated with one outstanding building from each of several well known Maya sites. Each building selected also represents a distinctive TYPE of Maya structure as well: funerary or ritual pyramids, the Chichen ball court, broad plazas ("oceans!"), and great palaces, among others. The reader may not realize how new and innovative their proposed discoveries are, so smoothly and convincingly presented are they. They pull together many recent research advances, and push beyond. They reconstruct history and ritual, right down to the dance steps. Of course this type of analysis only works where one has extraordinary preservation, and texts still directly associated with their original buildings (rather than lost to some foreign collector). The thousands of typical ruined buildings could supply little of the rare information they use here; hopefully their insightful analyses will apply to the aggregate types as well. This is a really fascinating book, one that reads like a novel or good mystery. Even better, the text is organized in layers so you can pick the level of detail you want to follow, from a tourist summary to intricate details of textual exegesis and webs of inferences in the endnotes. This would make a wonderful second book on the Maya (after a general introduction, as by Mike Coe, Norman Hammond, or John Henderson, q.v.).

A great achivement in art/history commentary
"The Code of Kings" suffers from too much seriousness. The structure of the book relies on interpreting some main architectural achievements of the Mayan kings who commissioned them. That is, for most chapters a brief historical narrative is followed by a detailed description of the monumental group of interest and ends with an interpretation as to its relevance. The interpretations are good, and we can appreciate the great scholarly gifts of Linda Schele (in particular when the authors dispose of the Toltec Maya myths of Chichen Itza). We can even be moved at times such as when the authors talk of the Great Plaza of Waxaklahun-Ubah-K'Awil (this reviewer was happy to have read it a few days before going to Copan). However, this dense package might scare away a more casual reader of the Maya history. It also makes this book pretty useless to take along in your trip to Guatemala and Yucatan, unless you will have plenty of time to sit down under some trees and read while you visit. But if you have plenty of time to prepare for your trip, you definitely need to read it. And of course, it is a must in any serious book collection on the Maya.

The Code of Kings
This is a fairly in depth discussion of the epigraphic evidence from various Mayan cities, including Tikal, Palenque, Copan, Seibal, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Iximche. The first chapter gives a brief overview of the Mayan region, writing, architecture, and mythology that helps orient the reader to the cultural and physical setting of the ancient centers. Thereafter each chapter is deducated to a specific site, its architecture, the written material illuminating its history, and its public personalities. Ms Schele's book brings to life the ancient people, making them more real to the reader. It, like "Lords of Tikal" by Peter Harrison (for which see my review list by clicking on my name or go to the book itself), helps the reader appreaciate the accomplishments of this society and of the researchers who have reclaimed it.