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Writing and literacy One of the outstanding achievements of the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas is the Maya writing system. More advanced and highly developed than a dozen other systems developed in Mesoamerica, it was the most advanced. The earliest inscriptions in an identifiably Maya script date to the period 300–200 BC in the Petén … Read more
Art This, again, is the art of the royal court. Nearly it speaks exclusively to the Maya elite and their world. This Maya art was made in perishable and nonperishable materials, while further serving to link the Maya to their ancestors. Although surviving Maya art accounts for only a small fraction of the art that … Read more
Politics Unlike the Aztecs and the Inca, however, the Maya political system never brought all of the Maya cultural area together into a single state or empire. The entire history of the Maya area held an inconsistent mix of political complexity containing both states and chiefdoms. T hese polities fluctuated greatly in their relationships with … Read more
The Maya civilization (/ˈmaɪə/) is a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known for its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most advanced and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. The civilization is also famous for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and … Read more
Introduction The Longaberger Company is a US manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products. The company started in 1973 and its handcrafted baskets, it would seem, were very much in vogue home décor in the 1980s and 1990s. It was a family-owned and -operated company founded by Dave … Read more
The Ancient City That Mastered Water It is a rainy, cold night in the walled city of Cordoba, medieval Spain. The watchmen were present to guard the city unaware that an entire army of Christian soldiers were about to attack them by surprise. By the end of a night, they conquered the entire city and … Read more
Architecture General design The design and decoration of the Nasrid palaces are a continuation of Moorish (western Islamic) architectural traditions from earlier centuries while developing their own unique characteristics. The combination of carefully proportioned courtyards, water features, gardens, arches on slender columns, and intricately sculpted stucco and tile decoration gives Nasrid architecture an ethereal and … Read more
The Alhambra (/ælˈhæmbrə/, Spanish: [aˈlambɾa]; Arabic: الْحَمْرَاء, romanized: al-ḥamrāʼ ) is the palace and fortress complex on the east bank of a small ria on a plateau above the town of Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, … Read more
Introduction to Venus Venus, the second planet from the Sun, has fascinated humanity for centuries due to its striking similarities to Earth and its contrasting harsh environment. Often referred to as Earth’s twin because of its similar size, mass, and proximity to the Sun, Venus is a world of extremes that offers profound mysteries to … Read more
Introduction to Jupiter: The King of Planets Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, stands as a colossal giant, commanding attention with its sheer size and complexity. Situated as the fifth planet from the Sun, Jupiter is a gas giant primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, resembling a miniature version of a star. Its … Read more