New Resource: The Maya Hieroglyphic Text and Image Archive

The Maya Hieroglyphic Text and Image Archive encompasses a continually growing digital repository that serves as a compendium for Maya hieroglyphic texts and imagery. As it advances, the archive will comprise more than 10,000 artifacts that bear inscriptions and iconographic representations. As a digital resource, it seamlessly integrates the textual and visual aspects of the Classic Maya culture, providing a valuable tool for researchers and the general public alike. In addition to its comprehensive descriptive data, the archive offers open access to image information, enabling unrestricted exploration and reuse.

This achievement is the culmination of ongoing extensive research and meticulous documentation carried out by the project  Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan for several years. Founded within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Bonn, this research center has received support from the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts since 2014. Under the directorship of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Nikolai Grube from the Department of Anthropology of the Americas at the University of Bonn, the project undertakes comprehensive digital examinations of surviving Maya hieroglyphic texts, approaching them from both an epigraphic and a cultural-historical perspective. The ultimate objective is to create and publish a comprehensive database and an extensive dictionary of the Classic Mayan language. The primary purpose of the archive is to facilitate research on the language, culture, and artistic expressions of the Classic Maya civilization.

Through collaborative efforts between the University and Regional Library of Bonn (ULB) and the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB), selected data from the project’s "Maya Image Archive" and the virtual research environment TextGrid are now readily accessible via the virtual "Maya Hieroglyphic Text and Image Archive" within the Digital Collections of the University and State Library. This virtual archive serves as a repository of hieroglyphic inscriptions, offering a meticulous analysis of epigraphy (a work in progress), ongoing translations, photographs, drawings, and concise information about the texts and their physical properties. In addition to textual content, the archive provides supplementary information regarding the text carriers’ dating, origin, dimensions, material, manufacturing techniques, and the most recent information on their custody. All these facets can be explored effortlessly through an intuitive faceted search feature, enriching the overall user experience.

Notes: Kindly consider that the database is currently undergoing a construction phase, wherein the smooth integration of new data coincides with the ongoing assessment, enhancement, and augmentation of existing data to accommodate additional information. Further, we appreciate you informing us about any errors or omissions under mayadict (at) uni-bonn.de.

Click on the image to get access to the database