Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - The ancient Maya were excellent astronomers who regularly observed the heavens. They studied various celestial objects, recorded important astronomical events, and could predict the motion of stars and planets.
Proof of their advanced astronomical knowledge can be found in ancient Maya codices. For example, the Dresden Codex, one of the oldest and best-preserved books of the Maya, contains various almanacs, divination calendars, astronomical tables, ritual regulations, and numerous representations of gods and calendars of Venus.
What Were Ancient Maya Star Wars?
Planet Venus played a very important role in the daily lives of the ancient Maya.
Interestingly, some scientists think that the mysterious "star war" glyph created by the ancient Maya may be linked to Venus. Some researchers do not subscribe to this theory.
Left: Examples of ancient Maya "Star War" glyphs. Credit: Public Domain. Background: Planet Venus. Credit: Public Domain. Right: Maya stela from Toniná, Chiapas, Mexico, representing the 6th-century king Jaguar Bird Peccary. Credit: Public Domain
What is confirmed is that the ancient Maya recorded 13 "Star Wars" that took place between 562 and 781 A.D. When we say, "Star Wars", we don't mean they were watching the modern movie series. The term was coined by Linda Schele (1942 – 1988), Maya epigraphy and iconography who deciphered several of the ancient civilization's hieroglyphs.
The Star Wars events were associated with a significant change in the ancient Maya society as a result of warfare.
The "star war" hieroglyph. Credit: Detail of drawing by Ian Graham, Met Museum
Like many other ancient civilizations, the Maya engaged in wars for political control of people and resources. Although there were no standing armies, warfare played an important role in religion, power, and prestige. A very important factor that often led to wars was the capture of sacrificial victims.
Scholars have determined that Maya inscriptions assign episodes of warfare to four distinct categories, each represented by its own glyph. The most significant Maya battles were described with a "star war" glyph. A Star War was a major event that resulted in the defeat of another society and led to a new dynastic line of rulers.
Losing a "star" was a horrible thing to the defeated party. Ancient Maya wars were very brutal. According to ancient records, on December 24, 631, Calakmul defeated Naranjo in a Star War. The ruler of Naranjo was tortured and may even have become a victim of cannibalism.
What Is The Mysterious Maya Star War Glyph?
The enigmatic Maya star war glyph has been of great interest to scientists, but the true meaning behind this symbol is still debated. The glyph showing a star showering the earth with liquid droplets, or a star over a shell represents a verb, but its meaning remains undeciphered.
The most prevailing opinion today is that ancient Maya battles were timed according to the phases of Venus.
Still, not scientists agree that the Star War glyph of the Maya should be connected to Venus. According to Gerardo Aldana who studied the subject, "the association between Venus and the "star war" verb is itself unstable." In his science paper, Aldana writes that "the correlation between Venus and this glyph is more the result of methodological trends in modern archeoastronomy than a product of Maya astronomical culture."
However, scholars have discovered that as many as 70 % of all Maya Star Wars correspond with Venus' evening phase. This would mean that the Star Was glyph is of astronomical importance and maybe somehow connected to Venus.
On the other hand, researchers also suggest that eclipses may have stimulated star wars and other planets.
Six pages of the Dresden codex: Pages (55–59, 74) on eclipses (left), multiplication tables, and a flood (far right). Credit: Public Domain
Susan Milbrath writes in her book Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars that "observations of Jupiter and Saturn may be connected with ball games, bloodletting ceremonies, Star Wars, and accession anniversaries at a number of Maya sites. In some cases, the dates of Classic Maya history were manipulated to fall into alignment with astronomical events, placing the lives of rulers in the context of mythic history."
Truth be told, we simply haven't yet figured out the meaning behind the Maya Star War glyph, and we cannot say with certainty that the Star Wars Maya engaged in were related to the beautiful planet Venus.
More research is required to unravel the mystery behind the ancient Maya Star War glyph.
Updated on May 26, 2022
Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com
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Expand for referencesSusan Milbrath - Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars
Simon Martin - Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya
Gerardo Aldana - Agency and the Star War Glyph: A historical reassessment of Classic Maya astrology and warfare, Ancient Mesoamerica Vol. 16, No. 2 (Fall 2005), pp. 305-320 (16 pages)
