[Aztlan] MAYA HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING WEEKEND WORKSHOP AT HSU ANNOUNCEMENT

[michael ruggeri]

MAYA HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING Weekend Workshops

18th Annual Series - September 2007

Taught by Professor Tom Jones

Humboldt State University - Arcata, California

Once regarded as hopelessly arcane and beyond the understanding of  
westerners, the hieroglyphic inscriptions of the ancient Maya are  
increasingly becoming understood in an exciting frontier of  
scholarship. In a script of extraordinary beauty and complexity, the  
glyphs record vital statistics of royal lineages, building and  
monument dedications, astronomical observations, a complex mythology,  
and details of pageantry, warfare, capture and sacrifice.

These three workshops are designed to introduce participants to the  
form and content of Maya inscriptions using hands-on analytical  
techniques. The topics of the introductory workshop are calendrics  
and syntax; participants are introduced to the mechanics of the Maya  
calendar and the syntax of sentences as tools for the structural  
analysis of Maya hieroglyhic texts. The topics of the intermediate  
workshop are phonetics and semantics; participants are introduced to  
the use of signs for different sounds and meanings as tools for the  
semantic analysis of individual words, and thus for understanding the  
content of inscriptions. In the advanced workshop, techniques learned  
and knowledge gained in the previous sessions are applied to a deeper  
analysis of groups of texts from across the Maya world.

Introductory Workshop: The Structural Analysis of Maya Texts
September 14-16, 2007
Intended for beginners but open as well to those who may wish to  
brush up on their skills, this workshop begins with a slide lecture  
introducing the ancient Maya world and defining the place and  
function of writing within it. On Saturday and Sunday, lecture  
sessions on various aspects of the Maya calendar and on the technique  
of structural analysis alternate with hands-on work on Maya texts. An  
optional Saturday evening potluck and study session offers an  
additional opportunity for hands-on glyphing and access to a large  
library of Maya resource materials. A wide variety of texts are  
covered in this session, including monumental inscriptions from  
Palenque and Yaxchilan, and passages from the Maya codices. By the  
end of this workshop, participants will be familiar with the basic  
structure of Maya texts and be able to identify most calendrical  
passages and selected events and titles.

Intermediate Workshop: Phonetics & Semantics of Maya Texts
September 21-23, 2007
This intermediate workshop goes beyond structural analysis to explore  
the sound and sense of the inscriptions. It begins on Friday with an  
introduction to the world of Maya hieroglyphic decipherment, focusing  
upon Diego de Landa and the impact of his writing upon 19th and 20th  
century scholars. The principle of structural analysis is reinforced  
and its use in arriving at phonetic and semantic readings is  
demonstrated.  Short lectures alternate with hands-on application of  
principles by participants working in small groups on a set of  
inscriptions from Piedras Negras, as well as other selected texts.  
Phonetic values will be posited and researched using a large  
collection of Maya language dictionaries & grammars. By the end of  
this workshop, participants will have an understanding of Maya  
spelling, will be able to recognize selected Maya phonetic signs and  
recognize some additional non-calendrical glyphs.

Advanced Workshop: Lost Sites of the Maya
September 28-30, 2007
Encouraging independent inquiry into the subject matter, this  
advanced workshop examines a new topic each year. This year we will  
look at various sites that have somehow been "lost" to scholars. This  
will include sites like Man, Sak Tsi, Site Q and others, that are  
clearly identified in multiple Mayan inscriptions, but whose actual  
geographic locations are unknown.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Each weekend sessions operates on the following schedule:
DAY
TIMES
ACTIVITY
Friday
7 - 9 pm
Introductory Lecture
Saturday
9 am - noon & 1 - 5 pm
6:30 - 9 pm
Workshop Sessions (alternating short lectures with hands-on exercises)
Optional Dinner & Study Session (Introductory Workshop only)
Sunday
9 am - noon & 1 - 4 pm
Workshop Sessions (alternating short lectures with hands-on exercises)

REGISTRATION FEES
For HSU Students: There is no registration fee for students who are  
regularly enrolled at Humboldt State University. Participants earn  
one unit (CR/NC) for each workshop.
For non-HSU Students: The registration fee for non-HSU students is  
$50 per workshop. In addition, one unit of upper division university  
credit is available for each workshop for a processing fee of $36 per  
unit.

WORKSHOP TEXT
Participants will need a copy of the HSU Workshop Notebook for use  
during the sessions. The notebook is available at the workshops at a  
special price of $25. Copies of the HSU Workshop Notebooks from  
recent years (2004 and later) are substantially the same and may also  
be used. In addition, please bring paper scissors and a pad/pen/ 
pencil for taking notes.
Copies of the HSU Workshop Notebook are available to non-workshop  
participants at the regular price of $40 (includes tax and book rate  
postage in the US). See publications information below.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
The workshops are led by Professor Tom Jones. In addition to serving  
on the teaching staff of Linda Schele’s annual seminars on Maya  
writing at the University of Texas at Austin from 1985 through 2001,  
and offering occasional workshops elsewhere, Professor Jones has  
authored articles on glyph decipherment and participated in  
educational tours of the Maya region. He is assisted during the  
workshops by Carolyn Jones and Cheyenne Spetzler, both of whom have  
also served on the staff of the Texas seminars and written articles  
on glyph decipherment.

ABOUT HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY
HSU is the northernmost campus of the California State University  
system. It is located in Arcata, California (pop. 16,000) in the  
midst of spectacularly beautiful redwood country, about 280 miles  
north of San Francisco and 90 miles south of the Oregon border. Late  
September is a fine time to visit this area, with generally sunny  
weather and daytime temperatures in the upper 60s (though it’s always  
good to bring your umbrella, just in case...). The Eureka-Arcata  
airport (code ACV) is served by more than a dozen flights daily on  
United/United Express and Alaska Air (operated by Horizon) airlines,  
and is located just 10 miles north of the HSU campus.

For More Information about the workshops, contact
Carolyn or Tom Jones
taj1 at suddenlink.net or 707-822-1515

To register for the workshops, contact
Office of Extended Education
Humboldt State University
http://www.humboldt.edu/~extended/index.shtml or 707-826-3731