Saktahnwaax: The Maya Scientist Who Signed the Sky
TL;DR Summary
Archaeologists at Xultun in Guatemala identify the earliest named Maya scientist-astronomer, Saktahnwaax, dating to around 800 CE, based on an inscription praising him and a newly deciphered 2,920-day calendar formula showing Maya tracking solar and Venus cycles, evidence of sophisticated scientific inquiry in pre-Columbian Americas.
- Archaeologists Just Found the Earliest Known Named Scientist in the Ancient Americas Gizmodo
- Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time National Geographic
- Maya mathematician’s name decoded alongside astronomical formula New Scientist
- Hidden in Maya wall writings: A named astronomer emerges from 1,200-year-old calculations Phys.org
- We Finally Know The Name of a Revered Maya Astronomer-Mathematician: Sak Tahn Waax ScienceAlert
Reading Insights
Total Reads
1
Unique Readers
26
Time Saved
17 min
vs 17 min read
Condensed
99%
3,348 → 45 words
Want the full story? Read the original article
Read on Gizmodo