Unknown Ancient Writing System Discovered in Teotihuacan, Mexico

Panoramic presumption of Teotihuacan successful Mexico. Credit: Rene Trohs / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

An past chartless penning strategy has been identified successful the ruins of Teotihuacan, a once-thriving metropolis successful cardinal Mexico that dates backmost implicit 2,000 years. Researchers accidental the find could connection captious penetration into the connection and individuality of the city’s long-lost inhabitants.

In a survey published successful Current Anthropology, University of Copenhagen researchers Magnus Pharao Hansen and Christopher Helmke presented grounds that symbols recovered connected Teotihuacan murals and pottery are much than decorative art. They reason the signs correspond a structured penning strategy that recorded an aboriginal signifier of the Uto-Aztecan connection family.

Teotihuacan, founded astir 100 B.C. and abandoned by 600 A.D., was 1 of the largest and astir influential cities successful past Mesoamerica, location to an estimated 125,000 radical astatine its peak. Despite its humanities prominence, small is known astir who lived determination oregon what connection they spoke. Hansen and Helmke’s findings could displacement that narrative.

Linguistic patterns constituent to Uto-Aztecan roots

The researchers analyzed hundreds of logograms—symbols that look connected the city’s vibrant murals and ceramics—and recovered patterns that suggest phonetic and conceptual usage. Some signs correspond literal meanings, similar an representation of a coyote indicating the connection “coyote.” Others enactment much similar a rebus, wherever the dependable of each awesome contributes to a much abstract word.

Examples of Teotihuacan writing.#History #historyteacher #mexico #native #nativeart #indigenous #teotihuacan #otomi #hñahñu #culture pic.twitter.com/IqdaDuXlWl

— Anahuac Encyclopedia (@AnahuacAmoxtli) October 20, 2020

Decoding this strategy required reconstructing an aboriginal mentation of Nahuatl, the connection aboriginal spoken by the Aztecs and inactive utilized contiguous successful parts of Mexico. According to Helmke, trying to construe the texts utilizing lone modern Nahuatl would beryllium arsenic ineffective arsenic speechmaking past Danish runes with today’s Danish. The connection had to beryllium brought person to its archetypal signifier for meaningful analysis.

The survey besides challenges long-standing views astir Aztec migration. Until now, scholars believed Nahuatl speakers arrived successful cardinal Mexico aft Teotihuacan fell. Hansen and Helmke suggest the linguistic transportation points to overmuch earlier roots, perchance making the Aztecs nonstop descendants of Teotihuacan’s archetypal population.

Limited evidence, but beardown world interest

Deciphering the penning is analyzable by constricted sources. Many inscriptions stay undiscovered, and lone fragments beryllium today. Hansen noted that uncovering much examples of the aforesaid signs utilized successful accordant ways would greatly fortify their theory.

The probe has drawn planetary attention. Hansen and Helmke program to big world workshops to collaborate with different experts and refine their method. They judge their model lays a instauration for further survey of Mesoamerican scripts.

If confirmed, their enactment not lone decodes a penning strategy but whitethorn besides rewrite the communicative of 1 of past Mexico’s astir mysterious civilizations.