The following passage is an essay about Maya decipherment.
[1]
For centuries, the intricate carvings on Maya stelae—large stone slabs erected in ancient Mesoamerican cities—were regarded as purely mystical and astronomical symbols. Early scholars believed the Maya were a peaceful people preoccupied almost exclusively with time, calendar calculations, and the stars. The glyphs, they argued, did not record actual human history or the details of earthly rulers. This view dominated the field of Maya archaeology, leaving the historical realities of this civilization obscured.
[2]
Tatiana Proskouriakoff, a Russian-born American architect, would single-handedly overturn this paradigm. In the 1930s, Proskouriakoff was hired as an illustrator for archaeological excavations at Piedras Negras in Guatemala. Possessing an artist's eye and an architect's spatial precision, she produced vivid, historically accurate reconstructions of ancient Maya cities. Her drawings brought the ruins to life, but it was her close, systematic observation of the monuments themselves that led to her most profound breakthrough.
[3]
Analyzing a series of stelae at Piedras Negras, Proskouriakoff noticed a curious pattern. The stelae were erected in distinct chronological clusters, and each group spanned a timeframe no longer than a typical human lifespan—about sixty years. Moreover, the first stela in each group always depicted a figure seated in a niche, accompanied by a specific glyph indicating accession. Proskouriakoff hypothesized that this scene represented the inauguration of a new ruler, and that the accompanying dates marked significant events in that ruler's life. By mapping these patterns, she demonstrated that the glyphs recorded the births, accessions, and military victories of historical individuals. The stelae were not celestial almanacs; they were royal biographies.
Suppose the writer's goal had been to write an essay explaining how a major archaeological paradigm was overturned by a researcher's close observation of historical monuments. Would this essay accomplish that goal?
- AYes, because it details how Proskouriakoff utilized her architectural training to physically excavate and restore the ancient city of Piedras Negras.
- Yes, because it describes how Proskouriakoff's close observation of chronological patterns on Maya monuments led to the realization that the glyphs recorded historical events.Answer
- CNo, because the passage focuses primarily on the mystical and astronomical calendar calculations of the ancient Maya rather than Proskouriakoff's work.
- DNo, because the essay does not provide any information regarding the specific drawings or reconstructions that Proskouriakoff produced.