Linda Schele
Encyclopedia
Linda Schele was an expert in the field of Maya
epigraphy
and iconography
. She played an invaluable role in the decipherment of much of the Maya hieroglyphics. She produced a massive volume of drawings of stelae and inscriptions, which, following her wishes, are free for use to scholars. In 1978, she founded the annual Maya Meetings at The University of Texas at Austin.
, Linda Schele graduated from the University of Cincinnati
in Education and Art in 1964, and obtained her post graduate degree in Art in 1968. She married David Schele in 1968, and started teaching Studio Art at the University of South Alabama
, remaining there till 1980, by which time she was Professor.
on behalf of the University. An obligatory visit to Palenque
turned into a 12 day stay after she was fascinated by the art, and she decided to investigate the culture and history of the ancient people who had created the city.
Mentored by Merle Greene Robertson
, Schele worked with Peter Mathews
to decipher a major section of the list of Palenque kings, presenting her work in the 1973 conference Mesa Redonda de Palenque, organized by Robertson. Her work stimulated several later discoveries, by herself and others. Schele became a Fellow in pre-Columbian
Studies at Dumbarton Oaks
in Washington, D.C in 1975. She focused on the study of word ordering in Maya inscriptions for the next two years there.
She founded the Maya Hieroglyphic Workshop in Texas in 1977, when still a graduate student. Twenty years later, the workshop expanded into what is known as the Maya Meetings at Texas, and includes a symposium of research papers by major scholars and the Forum on Hieroglyphic Writing.
She was awarded a Doctorate in Latin American studies by the University of Texas in 1980. She continued her teaching career there, in the department of Art/Art History. At the time of her death, she was the John D. Murchison Regents Professor of Art in the department.
Schele joined the Copán Mosaics Project in the mid 1980s, working with David Stuart
, Barbara Fash, and Nikolai Grube on the texts of that site. She began a related series called the Copán Notes, reports on epigraphy and iconography, which were aimed at rapid dissemination of information amongst Maya scholars.
In 1986, Schele co-curated a ground breaking exhibition of Maya art, "The Blood of Kings: A New Interpretation of Maya Art", with Mary Miller
, a project initiated by InterCultura
and the Kimbell Art Museum
, where it opened in 1986, and the two co-authored the catalog to the exhibition, which was published under the title "The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art". She also began taking an interest in the culture of the contemporary Maya. For a decade beginning 1988, she organized 13 workshops, along with Nikolai Grube
and Frederico Fahsen, on hieroglyphic writing for them in Guatemala
and Mexico
.
, aged fifty-five. Just before her death, she established the Linda Schele Precolumbian Endowment, which provides financial support for the Linda and David Schele Chair in Mesoamerican Art and Writing at UT Austin.
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
epigraphy
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
and iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
. She played an invaluable role in the decipherment of much of the Maya hieroglyphics. She produced a massive volume of drawings of stelae and inscriptions, which, following her wishes, are free for use to scholars. In 1978, she founded the annual Maya Meetings at The University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Linda Schele graduated from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
in Education and Art in 1964, and obtained her post graduate degree in Art in 1968. She married David Schele in 1968, and started teaching Studio Art at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
, remaining there till 1980, by which time she was Professor.
Work
She traveled with her husband, David Schele, to photograph Maya ruins in YucatánYucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
on behalf of the University. An obligatory visit to Palenque
Palenque
Palenque was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD...
turned into a 12 day stay after she was fascinated by the art, and she decided to investigate the culture and history of the ancient people who had created the city.
Mentored by Merle Greene Robertson
Merle Greene Robertson
Merle Greene Robertson was an American artist, art historian, archaeologist, lecturer and Mayanist researcher, renowned for her extensive work towards the investigation and preservation of the art, iconography and writing of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Central America.-Early...
, Schele worked with Peter Mathews
Peter Mathews (archaeologist)
Peter Mathews is an Australian archaeologist, epigrapher, and Mayanist. He was a professor at the University of Calgary, and is Co Director of the Naachtun Archaeology Project. He is a professor of Archaeology and Maya Hieroglyphs at La Trobe University.He graduated from University of Calgary...
to decipher a major section of the list of Palenque kings, presenting her work in the 1973 conference Mesa Redonda de Palenque, organized by Robertson. Her work stimulated several later discoveries, by herself and others. Schele became a Fellow in pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Studies at Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks is the conventional name for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, situated on a historic property in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The institution is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. Its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife...
in Washington, D.C in 1975. She focused on the study of word ordering in Maya inscriptions for the next two years there.
She founded the Maya Hieroglyphic Workshop in Texas in 1977, when still a graduate student. Twenty years later, the workshop expanded into what is known as the Maya Meetings at Texas, and includes a symposium of research papers by major scholars and the Forum on Hieroglyphic Writing.
She was awarded a Doctorate in Latin American studies by the University of Texas in 1980. She continued her teaching career there, in the department of Art/Art History. At the time of her death, she was the John D. Murchison Regents Professor of Art in the department.
Schele joined the Copán Mosaics Project in the mid 1980s, working with David Stuart
David Stuart (Mayanist)
David Stuart is a Mayanist scholar and professor of Mesoamerican art and writing at the University of Texas at Austin.-Early life:He is the son of Mayanist scholars George Stuart and Gene S. Stuart...
, Barbara Fash, and Nikolai Grube on the texts of that site. She began a related series called the Copán Notes, reports on epigraphy and iconography, which were aimed at rapid dissemination of information amongst Maya scholars.
In 1986, Schele co-curated a ground breaking exhibition of Maya art, "The Blood of Kings: A New Interpretation of Maya Art", with Mary Miller
Mary Miller
Mary Ellen Miller is an American art historian and Dean of Yale College. In 1998, she was appointed as the Vincent Scully, Jr. Professor of the History of Art. In 2008, she was appointed as Sterling Professor at Yale...
, a project initiated by InterCultura
InterCultura
InterCultura, Inc., was a not-for-profit private foundation, based in Fort Worth, Texas with offices in London, England, founded in 1982 by Gordon Dee Smith , J. Roderick Grierson , Milbry Polk, and several other individuals for the purpose of furthering understanding among cultures by organizing...
and the Kimbell Art Museum
Kimbell Art Museum
The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts a small but excellent art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new...
, where it opened in 1986, and the two co-authored the catalog to the exhibition, which was published under the title "The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art". She also began taking an interest in the culture of the contemporary Maya. For a decade beginning 1988, she organized 13 workshops, along with Nikolai Grube
Nikolai Grube
Nikolai Grube is a German epigrapher. He was born in Bonn in 1962. Grube entered the University of Hamburg in 1982 and graduated in 1985. His doctoral thesis was published at the same university in 1990. After he received his doctorate, Grube moved to the University of Bonn...
and Frederico Fahsen, on hieroglyphic writing for them in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Death
On 18 April 1998, she died of pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, aged fifty-five. Just before her death, she established the Linda Schele Precolumbian Endowment, which provides financial support for the Linda and David Schele Chair in Mesoamerican Art and Writing at UT Austin.
Recognition
Her doctoral dissertation, "Maya Glyphs: the Verbs" was published in 1982 and won "The Most Creative and Innovative Project in Professional and Scholarly Publication" an award given by the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers. The Blood of Kings was awarded the Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Award of the College Art Association for the best exhibition catalogue of 1986. She was awarded diplomas of recognition of the Museo Popul Vuh and the Universidad Francisco Marroquin by the government of Guatemala in March 1998.Texas Notes
The Texas Notes were informal reports produced by Linda Schele and others between 1990 and 1997 to allow for the quick dissemination of results in the rapidly evolving field of Maya epigraphy. Available online at The Mesoamerica Center, the notes authored (or co-authored) by Schele are listed here.- Redating the Hauberg Stela, by Linda Schele, Peter Mathews, and Floyd Lounsbury (September 1990)
- The Palenque War Panel: Commentary on the Inscription, by Linda Schele (September 1990)
- A Proposed Decipherment for Portions of Resbalon Stair, by Linda Schele and Peter Mathews (September 1990)
- Untying the Headband, by Linda Schele, Peter Mathews, and Floyd Lounsbury (September 1990)
- Ba as "First" in Classic Period Titles, by Linda Schele (September 1990)
- The Nal Suffix at Palenque and Elsewhere, by Linda Schele, Peter Mathews, and Floyd Lounsbury (September 1990)
- A Proposed Reading for the "Penis-Perforation" Glyph by Federico Fahsen and Linda Schele (April 1991)
- Further Adventures with T128 ch'a by Linda Schele (April 1990)
- A Substitution Pattern in Curl-Snout's Name by Linda Schele and Federico Fahsen (September 1991)
- Curl-Snout Under Scrutiny, Again by Federico Fahsen and Linda Schele, (September 1991)
- Tzuk in the Classic Maya Inscriptions by Nikolai Grube and Linda Schele, (September 1991)
- New Readings of Glyphs for the Month Kumk'u and their Implications by Linda Schele, Peter Mathews, Nikolai Grube, Floyd Lounsbury, and David Kelley (September 1991)
- Some Observations on the War Expressions at Tikal by Linda Schele (September 1991)
- A Proposed Name for Rio Azul and a Glyph for "Water" by Linda Schele (September 1991)
- A War at Palenque During the Reign of Ah-K'an by Matthew G. Looper and Linda Schele (September 1991)
- Some New Ideas about the T713/757 "Accession" Phrases by Linda Schele and Khristaan D. Villela (December 1991)
- The Lunar Series in Classic Maya Inscriptions by Linda Schele, Nikolai Grube, and Federico Fahsen (October 1992)
- El Zapote and the Dynasty of Tikal by Linda Schele, Federico Fahsen, and Nikolai Grube (October 1992)
- Naranjo Altar 1 and Rituals of Death and Burials by Nikolai Grube and Linda Schele (November 1993)
- Un verbo nakwa para "batallar o conquistar" by Nikolai Grube and Linda Schele (November 1993)
- Pi as "Bundle" by Linda Schele and Nikolai Grube (December 1993)
- Creation and the Ritual of the Bakabs by Linda Schele (December 1993)
- The Helmet of the Chakte by Linda Schele and Khristaan Villela (March 1994)
- Tikal Altar 5 by Nikolai Grube and Linda Schele (March 1994)
- Some Revisions to Tikal's Dynasty of Kings by Linda Schele and Nikolai Grube (March 1994)
- The Last King of Seibal by Linda Schele and Paul Mathews (March 1994)
- An Alternative Reading for the Sky-Penis Title by Linda Schele (March 1994)
- Notes on the Chronology of Piedras Negras Stela 12 by Linda Schele and Nikolai Grube (August 1994)
- New Observations on the Oval Palace Tablet at Palenque by Linda Schele (October 1994)
- New Observations on the Loltun Relief by Nikolai Grube and Linda Schele (August 1994)