Ancient monument adds spicy twist to Maya 'Game of Thrones' saga

[Judi Lynn]

Ancient monument adds spicy twist to Maya 'Game of Thrones' saga
Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News
10 hours ago

Archaeologists say a 1,450-year-old stone monument discovered beneath a Maya temple in Guatemala bears hieroglyphs that hint at a multigenerational tale of power reminiscent of "A Game of Thrones."

"'Game of Thrones' ... George Lucas ... Steven Spielberg ... Nobody could write this story the way the Maya actually lived it," David Freidel, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told NBC News.

Freidel is part of the international research team that unearthed the monument in March at the El Peru-Waka archaeological site in northern Guatemala. El Peru-Waka served as one of the power centers for the Maya civilization more than a millennium ago.

The monument, known as Stela 44, was dedicated in the year 564, the researchers reported. The glyphs suggest it was commissioned by a king named Wa'oom Uch'ab Tzi'kin to honor his father, King Chak Took Ich'aak (Red Spark Claw), who died about eight years earlier. The monument also mentions a queen, Lady Ikoom, who was apparently Red Spark Claw's wife.

More:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/ancient-monument-adds-spicy-twist-maya-game-thrones-saga-6C10658005

[Judi Lynn]

1. Discovery of Stone Monument Adds New Chapter to Ancient Maya History: New World 'Cleopatra Story' Wa

Discovery of Stone Monument Adds New Chapter to Ancient Maya History: New World 'Cleopatra Story' Waits 1,000 Years to Be Retold

July 17, 2013 — Archaeologists tunneling beneath the main temple of the ancient Maya city of El Perú-Waka' in northern Guatemala have discovered an intricately carved stone monument with hieroglyphic text detailing the exploits of a little-known sixth-century princess whose progeny prevailed in a bloody, back-and-forth struggle between two of the civilization's most powerful royal dynasties, Guatemalan cultural officials announced July 16.

"Great rulers took pleasure in describing adversity as a prelude to ultimate success," said research director David Freidel, PhD, a professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. "Here the Snake queen, Lady Ikoom, prevailed in the end."

Freidel, who is studying in Paris this summer, said the stone monument, known officially as El Perú Stela 44, offers a wealth of new information about a "dark period" in Maya history, including the names of two previously unknown Maya rulers and the political realities that shaped their legacies.

"The narrative of Stela 44 is full of twists and turns of the kind that are usually found in time of war but rarely detected in Precolumbian archaeology," Freidel said.

More:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717164133.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

[rpannier]

2. Very cool

Thanks for sharing