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archaeologicalnews · 3 months

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Jade mask depicting Maya storm god unearthed in royal tomb in Guatemala

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,700-year-old royal tomb in Guatemala that's overflowing with funeral offerings, including an intricately designed jade mask depicting a Maya deity.

The tomb, which is located at an archaeological site known as Chochkitam near the borders of what are now Mexico and Belize, was the burial site for a previously unknown Maya king, according to a statement from Tulane University.

Along with the mosaic mask designed to resemble the Maya storm god, researchers found 16 mollusk shells and hieroglyphs carved into human femurs (thigh bones), including one drawing depicting a man holding a jade mask similar to the artifact tucked inside the tomb. Researchers think the hieroglyphs identify the king's father and grandfather and serve as a link to the ruler of the Maya states of Tikal and Teotihuacan. Read more.

#archaeology #archeology #tomb #guatemala #jade #maya #shells #hieroglyphs #jade mask

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love-me-some-mcog · 3 months

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Mysterious Cities of Gold S01E23

Jade Mask in tha house

#the mysterious cities of gold #les mystérieuses cités d'or #mcog #mysterious cities of gold #taiyou no ko esteban #1980s cartoons #jade mask

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historyprofiles · 2 months

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#jade mask #historyblr

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xtruss · 3 months

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The small mask, made of jade mosaic with spondylus shell for the eyes and teeth, represents a manifestation of the Storm God. It was laid on the chest of a king buried at Chochkitam, circa A.D. 350.

Stunning Jade Mask Found Inside The Tomb of a Mysterious Maya king

National Geographic Explorer Francisco Estrada-Belli’s Discovery in Chochkitam, Guatemala, Sheds New Light on an Ancient Society.

— January 26, 2024 | By Erin Blakmore | Photographs By Rubén Salgado Escudero

Choked by rainforest and crowded with fallen leaves, palms, and chunks of stone, the little-known site of Chochkitam, Guatemala, seems an unlikely place for a breathtaking archaeological find—much less one that reveals new information about a still murky time period that’s long baffled researchers.

But that’s exactly what researchers recently discovered at the site, in the form of a mysterious, interlocking jade mask believed to have belonged to a previously unknown Maya king.

The find tells a fascinating story of religious devotion and royal succession during the early Classic period of the Maya nearly 1,700 years ago. But it also gives credence to a growing theory that Maya royals of the era may have been in the thrall of even more powerful Mesoamerican dynasties.

“It’s a very controversial subject,” says archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Francisco Estrada-Belli. “The mask is one more nail in the coffin” of old interpretations of Maya history, he says.

Top: Lead archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli begins a primary investigation of the newly discovered burial at the Chochkitam site near Petén, Guatemala. The burial was discovered with the help of LIDAR mapping technology and is believed to be that of the city's king.

Bottom: Viviana López Gutiérrez pieces together the jade mosaic mask in the Holmul Archaeological Project Laboratory in Antigua, Guatemala 🇬🇹.

Top: Along with his bones were other royal attributes, including a stingray spine (denoting he was male), a jade mosaic mask with two jade plaques, 13 spondylus shells, three ceramic vessels, and three human bones carved with figures and hieroglyphs, probably trophies from war.

Bottom: If the dating is correct, the bones could be the individual on the monolith "Stela: Muwan Bahlam," which was found on the front of the structure in 2021. LIDAR led the team to both—and Estrada-Belli considers it one of the greatest finds of his decades long career.

Discovery of a Royal Pyramid—and Coffin

The Chochkitam site and its history have long been obscured by the ravages of time and the density of the rainforests of Petén, the northeastern lowlands region of Guatemala that’s bounded by Mexico and Belize. Though the archaeological site has been known since the early 20th century, its connection to the Maya civilization has eluded modern scholars.

Part of the reason is the time period in which it arose. The Maya Classic period, spanning from about A.D. 250 to 900, represents the civilization’s peak. But little text remains from the period, and much of its glory was decimated by looting in archaeological sites.

Top: Jade mosaic pieces are laid out after being finely cleaned by archaeologists. Bottom: This mask, which was placed on the waist area, identifies the occupant of the tomb as an early Chochkitam ruler.

In fact, grave robbers beat Estrada-Belli and his team to Chochkitam. In 2021, using lidar technology, Estrada-Belli found evidence that looters had tunneled inside a seemingly royal pyramid within the city’s monumental core. But he and a colleague, Bhanny Giron, noticed a spot the looters had seemingly missed—and decided to dig.

“It wasn’t that easy,” says Estrada-Belli, a professor at Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute and an expert in the Preclassic and Classic Maya periods.

As the men dug more than seven meters into the pyramid, their excavation began to feel more like digging a well. But then, Giron found a skull, some teeth, and a coffin-shaped stone box. Though the box’s top had collapsed, Estrada-Belli spotted the offerings that had accompanied the burial: a pot, an assemblage of huge oyster shells, several pieces of bone, and a grouping of carefully arranged pieces of shiny jade.

A Jade Mask Fit For a King

Back in the lab, in late June 2022, Estrada-Belli homed in on the chunks of jade, known to archaeologists as tesserae. In other Maya sites, such blocks had been used to form mosaic masks for royal burials—often arranged to represent deities or ancestors and commonly associated with the wealth and power of the people with whom they were interred.

Left: In other Maya sites, jade had been used to form mosaic masks that represented deities or ancestors, showing off the wealth and power of the interred.

Right: The mask pointed to archaeologists to clues of the interred's status. They were able to date the burial to A.D. 350 using carbon dating from bone fragments and copal incense resin.

With a few movements of the tiles, Estrada-Belli quickly assembled the jade into a face complete with spiral eyes and sharp teeth.

A sharp-eyed colleague noted that some of the bones the archaeologists had thought belonged to the crypt’s inhabitant were actually covered in fine carvings, likely made using volcanic obsidian glass. As it turned out, two of the bones weren’t those of the buried king at all—but their carvings revealed the identity of the royal ruler. Extraordinarily, one of the carvings depicted a ruler holding up the head of a Maya deity—the exact god represented in the mask Estrada-Belli had pieced together.

But who were they? University of Alabama archaeologist Alexandre Tokovinine, who specializes in Maya epigraphy, helped Estrada-Belli decode the glyphs, unlocking the secrets of the identities of both the ruler—Itzam Kokaj Bahlam (“sun god/bird/jaguar”)—and the god. Known to archaeologists as Yax Wayaab Chahk G1, the swirling deity represents a manifestation of the Maya storm god directly translated as “first sorcerer rain god.”

The find is “very, very unusual,” says Estrada-Belli—and has proven extraordinarily informative about a time and place that remain stubbornly obscure.

An ornately carved human femur bone was also found as part of the funerary offerings. The bone was not the king's, however, but its carvings did tell his story.

The incisions on the bone highlighted by red pigment depict the ruler in profile holding in his right hand a jade mask depicting a deity. The name is spelled by hieroglyphs as Yax Wayaab Chahk G1, or "first sorcerer Rain Deity G1." This is likely the same mask found in the tomb.

Hieroglyphs in the ruler's head spell his name Itzam Kokaj Bahlam, offering a final clue about the interred. Two other masks attached to his belt represent deified ancestors.

A new glimpse of an ancient society

As revealed by the radiocarbon dating of incense and the bones found in the crypt, Itzam Kokaj Bahlam likely reigned over the city in about A.D. 350.

Though his burial site clearly shows a Maya ruler with elite status and royal power, references in the artwork and buildings discovered at the site give credence to a growing theory that many local leaders of the time were subordinates or even puppets of other, more powerful, kings. Some of the items found there echo those found in other powerful Mesoamerican cities, including a depiction of Itzam Kokaj Bahlam in a full-frontal position.

“Everything suggests to me that this was a Maya king who was part of a network of Maya royalty in the sphere of influence of Tikal and Teotihuacán,” says Estrada-Belli. The ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán, located in modern-day Mexico, and the Maya city of Tikal, also located in Petén, were both larger and more influential than the relative backwater of Chochkitam.

“There’s no statement of vassalage at the site,” says Estrada-Belli. “But if you read between the lines, that’s what it means—these were vassals, probably of Tikal directly and Teotihuacán indirectly.”

The shiny chunks of jade, known as tesserae to archaeologists, encircle pieces of shell from the Pacific Ocean, creating a regal mask.

There’s more to learn about the kings of Chochkitam and their connections to other powerful rulers in the still-murky early Classic period of the Maya. Estrada-Belli and his colleagues intend to pursue everything from ancient DNA studies of the bones found at the site to the possibility of finding more treasures buried within these abandoned pyramids.

But in the meantime, we can still marvel at the magnificence of the lost Maya king’s jade mask. Taken together, the archaeologist says, the mask and the carved bones that accompany it carry the kind of thrill that’s rare in the laborious, painstaking world of archaeological research.

Scholars Piece Together the Jade Mosaic Mask. Rubén Salgado

“You can look at the bones of this individual,” says Estrada-Belli. “But you can also see him dressed in his regalia”—and in full possession of his royal power. “It’s a tremendous thrill and a privilege,” the National Geographic Explorer adds. “Sometimes we do get lucky.”

#National Geographic #Explorer Francisco Estrada #Chochkitam Guatemala 🇬🇹#Erin Blakmore #Rubén Salgado Escudero | Photographer #Royal Pyramid #Coffin ⚰️#Jade Mask

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xynczachrome · 9 months

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She's a mask collector, your honor

#ninjago #ninjago fandom #ninjago fanart #harumi ninjago #princess harumi #ninjago harumi #harumi #jade princess harumi #ninjago sons of garmadon #fanart #goddamnit harumi what's your obsession with masks

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s68l · 4 months

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portrait requests i took on twt (i still have like 4 to finish) ill post those when done

#miracle mask spoilers #randall ascot #professor layton #lucy baker #layton brothers mystery room #emmy altava #layton series #tales of zestiria #alisha diphda #jade curtiss #tales of the abyss #guy cecil #flora reinhold #tales of hearts #hisui hearts #tales of zestiria the x #s68l

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yogurthoopsart · 4 months

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It's always been interesting to me. How did Vanny fall in love with Taffy? Is a killer capable of loving the person he tried to kill?

im SO glad you asked. It happens a little bit after the Daycare Incident - long enough for Glitchtrap to get pissed that Staff hasn't quit/Vanessa hasn't finished the job:

She immediately "leaves" and Staff has her first encounter with a Very Affectionate Vanny moments later.

#asks #yogart #fnaf #self insert #gamer girls but its murderous #five nights at freddy's #fnaf security breach #self ship #fnaf vanessa #the vibe im going with this vers of Vanessa is VERY much Reluctant Follower. She doesn't want to kill peeps.#she can mask it better as vanny bc Mask Confidence and Disassociation but as vanessa she's just jaded and hates it #the thing that makes vanessa fall is a Moment of Kindness even though Staff is obviously sus of Van #before this Vanessa was super stuck up and an asshole to Staff #why be nice to the person thats gonna be dead/gone. nothing matters. shes SO depressed #and then staff doesn't die or leave. Staff represents hope

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blueiskewl · 3 months

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Jade Mosaic Mask Discovered in Maya King's Royal Tomb

Revealing rare treasures and royal lineage.

A Tulane University archaeologist has recently discovered an ancient Maya tomb dating back 1,700 years at the site of Chochkitam in Guatemala near the borders of Mexico and Belize.

The tomb’s remarkable funeral offerings, such as a mosaic jade mask, rare mollusk shells, and writings carved in human femur bones, provide valuable insights into Maya civilization. The discovery includes depictions of a previously unknown king believed to be holding a jade mask similar to the one found in the tomb.

Hieroglyphs on the artifact are thought to connect the ruler to the Maya states of Tikal and Teotihuacan, providing historical and genealogical information.

This discovery is like winning the lottery in terms of information. It opens a window into an obscure time we have little texts about. The newly discovered tomb from the Maya classic period, dating from 250-900 AD, is a significant find given the limited remnants from this era, primarily affected by looting.

The tomb, located just 2 meters away from where looters had previously stopped, is remarkably well-preserved, with minimal damage aside from the natural decay and the collapse of the stone ceiling. This fortunate preservation provides archaeologists with a rare opportunity to explore the rich history and offerings within the tomb.

Estrada-Belli, a research assistant professor in the Tulane University School of Liberal Arts, said, “That was the first amazing thing about it. It was fortunate.”

Lidar technology played a crucial role in the tomb’s discovery by enabling archaeologists to detect looters’ tunnels and map the jungle floor precisely. This advanced technology, akin to ‘taking x-rays of the jungle floor,’ revolutionizes archaeological exploration, allowing researchers to navigate more efficiently through dense vegetation.

The tomb’s contents, including over 16 rare spondylus shells, provide valuable insights into ancient Maya practices, emphasizing their significance in royal contexts as symbols of wealth and elements used in religious and sacrificial ceremonies.

The relics from the tomb, dating back to 350 CE, establish a historical link between Tikal and the central Mexican site of Teotihuacan. This connection sheds light on the cultural exchanges and influences between Maya rulers and the wider Mesoamerican region during the Maya classic period.

The tomb’s contents, including a mosaic jade mask and hieroglyphs carved on human femur bones, offer insights into religious practices and royal lineage, enriching our understanding of ancient Maya civilization. The discovery at Chochkitam, after a century since Fran Blom’s initial exploration, underscores the significance of continued archaeological efforts.

Estrada-Belli said the next stage in his work at the site will be to conduct DNA testing on the bones and maybe uncover additional essential contents buried within the abandoned pyramid.

By Amit Malewar.

#Jade Mosaic Mask Discovered in Maya King's Royal Tomb #Chochkitam #Guatemala #ancient grave #ancient tomb #royal tomb #jade #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeolgst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #maya history #maya art

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puppyeared · 3 months

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i have an idea for a character design but what animals are usually associated with medicine??? the most common answer i got was snake, but i also thought of lab rats/mice, rabbits etc

#snake has the longest history with medicine especially since its shown on the rod of asclepius and the myths around venom #i also didnt know this but their shedding skin is referenced as symbols of rebirth and growth while their appearance resembles an #umbilical cord which gives it a really strong connection to health in some cultures.. although if i had to think abt modern medicine and #pharmacies the first thing i think of is white lab mice like pinky and the brain. for some reason i also thought of rabbits #bc of how its used for anti animal testing logos but thats more loose. however i did learn that the jade rabbit is shown to #use a pestle and mortar to create medicine in some stories so that could work...???? but its not as well known i think #i also thought of possums but that was more of an irony thing. same for bats but both are ironically really resistant to disease and act #as carriers. a death symbol like vultures or ravens/crows might work with a plague doctors mask but i feel #like that isnt the vibe im going for. black cat would be interesting considering superstition but im also on the fence abt that #actually what else is associated with medicine?? normally its stuff like pills crosses bandaids syringes etc #doctors coats and gloves.. especially plague doctor masks or medical masks in general but not much else huh #hand sanitizer and tissues.. pill bottles... blue nurse uniforms.. gauze and casts with signed names... hmmmm/.........#nurse dresses..??? sure?? i also see scalpels and knives but thats more for like. horror doctors for scary stories #im going for cute maybe even regular ass doctor vibe. like harvey sdv. or tony tony chopper #yapping

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merakiui · 5 months

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I’m adding onto anon’s academic rivals with Jade… academic rivals WITH SPICE (+Yandere)

Maybe one or both of you find out a nasty secret about the other, catch the other, and w/o risking your reputation, you decide to come to a compromise so you two can stay hush hush about it. Imagine it’s like literally academic rivals with benefits BWAHAHA — in class and anywhere else in public you two hate each other omg but in private you two are fucking like rabbits (angry sex ftw) like “GODS you are SO ANNOYING >:( better keep my secret”

I could totally see Jade falling first though or at least playing the long game and being SOOOO infuriating during your little trysts together. He’s obnoxiously smart and sleazy and menacing and all, but hey at least the sex is good. Not that you’d ever admit it— Jade will make you say it sooner or later tho ;) it’s probably exhausting for him to keep up the act of “hating” each other when clearly, you’re so meant for him ^,^

YES....... and everyone around you keeps commenting on how well you and Jade work together when they see you interacting in class for assignments or partnered work. The chemistry is so there and it's so obvious, but you refuse to acknowledge that (so the others will point it out for you). This dynamic is really just "you wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid." >:D

You're fuming every time Jade opens that annoying eel mouth of his to tease you about how he scored higher on Professor Crewel's most recent exam or how he always has to offer his help with your study habits and whatnot, even though the both of you know there won't be any studying happening the moment that door shuts and locks. <3 it's all loveless sex meant to scratch some obscure itch until it isn't and Jade's being so uncharacteristically sweet with you.

OTL AAAAAAAA and maybe you push him away even though he's trying to get closer to you. :( it's easier if the two of you just hate-fuck, so when he's being so soft and personal and vulnerable with you?????? T_T you're not sure how much longer you can keep denying yourself of these good things because, much to your horror, you're falling for him, too.

#twisted chit chat #on the opposite side of 'enemies to lovers with jade' there's 'idiots to lovers with floyd' where both of you are abysmal at romance LOL #it takes ten chapters for the two of you to finally hold hands and it's not even for romantic reasons T_T #your honor they are idiots and they are in love (but neither knows it yet) <3 #aaaa but floyd's so emotionally intelligent so maybe he's already worked out his own feelings for you #but he's much too cowardly to confess so he masks every loving gesture in friendship (intentionally forces himself into the friend zone)

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axydoesstuff · 7 months

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Ninjagotober 2023 - Day 8: Villain