An Outline Dictionary of Maya Glyphs
Encyclopedia
An Outline Dictionary of Maya Glyphs: With a Concordance and Analysis of Their Relationships is a monograph
study of the Maya script
by William E. Gates
, first published in 1931. The inventory of glyphs used in Gates' analysis was compiled and drawn from the Madrid, Dresden
and Paris codices, rather than from monumental inscriptions and stelae. It was published at a time when the Maya script remained wholly undeciphered and the type of writing system
the script represented was unknown and much debated among Mayanists. Gates' work represented one of the major attempts in this pre-decipherment era of Mayanist scholarship to catalogue and analyse Maya glyphs as a prelude to uncovering their meaning. In comprehensiveness it was later superseded by Günther Zimmermann's Die Hieroglyphen der Maya-Handschriften (1956), and then in particular by J. Eric S. Thompson
's A Catalogue of Maya Hieroglyphs (1962), which became established as the de facto standard catalogue and analysis of its day.
Once it was realised in the latter half of the 20th century that the Maya script was largely logosyllabic in nature, Mayanist epigraphers beginning with Yuri Knorozov began a process of breakthroughs in the script's decipherment. Other key contributions and realisations—such as establishing that the stelae texts recorded actual history and real personages and events—led to the decipherment of a significant number of glyphs and texts, particularly from the 1970s onwards. While many of the interpretations put forward in the early catalogues by Gates et al. have been made redundant by the modern knowledge of the script, catalogues such as Gates' have retained their significance and utility as references and records—particularly for calendrical
and astronomical data and interpretation.
The original edition was limited to 207 copies. The book was subsequently reprinted by Dover
in 1978, and by Kessinger
in 2003.
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
study of the Maya script
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
by William E. Gates
William E. Gates
William Edmond Gates was an American Mayanist and collector of Mesoamerican manuscripts.-Published works:Gates' published works include:*The Maya and Tzental Calendars...
, first published in 1931. The inventory of glyphs used in Gates' analysis was compiled and drawn from the Madrid, Dresden
Dresden Codex
The Dresden Codex, also known as the Codex Dresdensis, is a pre-Columbian Maya book of the eleventh or twelfth century of the Yucatecan Maya in Chichén Itzá. The Maya codex is believed to be a copy of an original text of some three or four hundred years earlier...
and Paris codices, rather than from monumental inscriptions and stelae. It was published at a time when the Maya script remained wholly undeciphered and the type of writing system
Writing system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
the script represented was unknown and much debated among Mayanists. Gates' work represented one of the major attempts in this pre-decipherment era of Mayanist scholarship to catalogue and analyse Maya glyphs as a prelude to uncovering their meaning. In comprehensiveness it was later superseded by Günther Zimmermann's Die Hieroglyphen der Maya-Handschriften (1956), and then in particular by J. Eric S. Thompson
J. Eric S. Thompson
Sir John Eric Sidney Thompson was an English Mesoamerican archeologist and epigrapher. His contributions to the understanding of Maya hieroglyphs lead him to be one of the foremost mid-20th century anthropological scholars. He was generally known as J. Eric S...
's A Catalogue of Maya Hieroglyphs (1962), which became established as the de facto standard catalogue and analysis of its day.
Once it was realised in the latter half of the 20th century that the Maya script was largely logosyllabic in nature, Mayanist epigraphers beginning with Yuri Knorozov began a process of breakthroughs in the script's decipherment. Other key contributions and realisations—such as establishing that the stelae texts recorded actual history and real personages and events—led to the decipherment of a significant number of glyphs and texts, particularly from the 1970s onwards. While many of the interpretations put forward in the early catalogues by Gates et al. have been made redundant by the modern knowledge of the script, catalogues such as Gates' have retained their significance and utility as references and records—particularly for calendrical
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
and astronomical data and interpretation.
The original edition was limited to 207 copies. The book was subsequently reprinted by Dover
Dover Publications
Dover Publications is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward Cirker and his wife, Blanche. It publishes primarily reissues, books no longer published by their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books in the public domain. The original published editions may be...
in 1978, and by Kessinger
Kessinger Publishing
Kessinger Publishing is a publisher that offers for reprint rare, out of print and out of copyright books originally issued by other publishers. They are located in Whitefish, Montana.The original dates of publication of the titles are usually prior to ca...
in 2003.