# 23000 year-old letters



## Rosemary (Jan 7, 2006)

*2300 year-old letters from **America*

   Archeologist excavating at a pyramid complex in the Guatemalan jungle have uncovered the earliest example of Mayan writing ever found, 10 bold hieroglyphs painted on plaster and stone.
   In the journal Science yesterday it was said that the 2300 year-old glyphs were excavated in San Bartolo and suggested that the Mayans developed an advanced writing system centuries earlier than previously believed.
   The glyphs came from the same site in the Petan jungle of northern Guatemala where in 2001 the oldest murals in the world were found of the Mayan world. Radio carbon tests prove the writing is 100 years older than the murals which depict the Mayan creation myth.
   The glyphs were of thin black paintings on off-white stucco.  The pyramids at San Bartolo were built over several centuries with newer structures built over the old.  The glyphs were found buried deep below the room housing the ancient murals.  Archaeologists say some of the glyphs are pictorial with one resembling a hand holding a brush or sharp instrument.  Archeologists have stated that they are unable to read the hieroglyphs, as it is more exotic looking than the known Mayan glyphs.
   The 2000 year old mural has been compared with the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

_
It must be marvellous to discover these ancient artifacts...
_


----------



## Esioul (Jan 11, 2006)

Wow, interesting!

We should keep an ear and eye or two out in case they manage to work out how to read it.


----------



## Snagas Tender Blades (Jul 13, 2007)

so is it 2300 or 23 000?


----------



## dustinzgirl (Jul 13, 2007)

Its 2300.....

Man, I wish I could go and visit these ancient temples....how freaking cool would that be...or be the first person in 2000 years to see the insides, or read a glyph, or do any of that stuff. Thats just, awesome.


----------



## Talysia (Jul 13, 2007)

I guess I'm another of these people who'd love to go around making discoveries like that.  I love this kind of thing, and this is absolutely fascinating.  Thanks for posting it!


----------



## Allegra (Aug 16, 2007)

Really fascinating... I wish to know what it says. Thanks, Rosie.


----------



## j d worthington (Aug 17, 2007)

Yes, indeed... thanks, Rosie! Though I've not kept up with discoveries in that part of the world, I find the culture(s) fascinating, and this sort of thing does give me a distinct lift...


----------



## Curt Chiarelli (Aug 18, 2007)

Wonderful stuff Rosemary! Thanks for posting this. Wouldn't it be fun if the hieroglyphs translated to mean "Paint Locker"?


----------



## jenna (Aug 22, 2007)

Lol I got really excited when I saw 23 000 year old letters! But nonetheless, very cool discovery. I'm glad we're still unearthing artifacts like this..


----------



## scalem X (Aug 22, 2007)

coolness, nevertheless! There was me wondering if writing and farming sort of started at the same time, lol.


----------



## Blade025 (Dec 7, 2007)

wow that's really cool...i wish i can visit some of these ancient sites! 


PS> i'm new...does anyone know where i can watch documentaries on excavation sites and stuff like tat...thanks


----------



## Lith (Dec 8, 2007)

So they're 2,300 years old?  Because the oldest estimates I've seen for Indians in the Americas is around 13,000 years.


----------



## Delvo (Dec 9, 2007)

They were here for a while before they invented the writing.


----------



## sarakoth (Mar 30, 2008)

Ummm, Mr. Mod? Please change the title of this thread to 2300.


----------

