Exploring the Early Americas

The Jay I. Kislak Collection

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Language and Context

Shell Cup with Incised Hieroglylphs Shell Cup with Incised Hieroglylphs

Writing was independently invented in five areas of the ancient world: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, the Indus Valley, and Mesoamerica. Among these systems of writing, the Maya glyphic system stands out, according to one scholar, “for its creation of syllabic and pictorial writing, in one of the most visually diverse scripts ever conceived.” Maya writing was recorded on a wide variety of media that include ceramics, stone, wood, shell, textiles, animal hides, and screen-fold codex books.

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