World will not end in 2012, according to 9th-century Mayan calendar

[Ryft]

["Ancient Maya workshop for astronomers discovered." CBC News. (2012, May 11).]

Archeologists have discovered Maya astronomical tables that are hundreds of years older than any previously discovered—and which pour more cold water on the myth that the society predicted the world would end in 2012. ... Astronomical records were key to the Maya calendar, which has received some attention recently because of doomsday warnings that it predicts the end of the world this December. Experts say it makes no such prediction. The new finding provides a bit of backup: The calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years that could extend well beyond 2012.

[Bob McDonald, "Maya Wall Calendar." Quirks and Quarks. (2012, May 12).]

The city of Xultun is an ancient Maya settlement, located in present day Guatemala. A structure recently excavated there has revealed rare Maya paintings, as well as evidence of astronomical tables relating to various calendrical cycles, including those of the moon, Mars and Venus. The paintings, found on the inner walls of the structure, depict a Maya king, as well as a scribe holding a stylus. The astronomical tables—a series of hieroglyphic bars and dots arranged in columns—are also found on the inner walls. The excavation was recently carried out by Dr. William Saturno, a Professor of Archaeology at Boston University. He believes the early 9th century structure was the workshop of the scribe depicted in the painting. These findings are the oldest-known Mayan astronomical tables, as well as the first known instance of Mayan art painted on the walls of a dwelling.

http://cbc.ca/quirks/media/2011-2012/qq-...-12_02.mp3

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