Isthmian script

The Isthmus font (English Isthmian script) is an early Mesoamerican writing, which in the centuries before and after Christ's birth to the north, northwest and east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec was widespread. The writing is so far not sure deciphered the underlying language is also not reliably determined.

Structure

The writing is about how the simultaneous writing of Monte Albán written in vertical columns that are read one by one from top to bottom. The characters are recognizable abstract or as representations of faces, animal heads and objects. Some characters are (after Justeson and Kaufman, see below) logograms, but the font was based primarily on syllable characters that have been partly combined with logograms. A number of the inscriptions contain a series of numbers that read in the Long Count of the Maya script and can convert on European data.

Finds

The number of finds with inscriptions attributable to the Isthmus font is small.

  • The La Mojarra Stela 1, a 1.4 m × 1986 m 2 safe large limestone block from the Acula River near the archaeological site of Tres Zapotes. The inscription is 535 character blocks unusually long and contains data of the Long Count for the years 143 and 156
  • The Tuxtla statuette, found in 1902, a bird-like figure made of greenstone, 75 characters and a date from the year 162 are on their pages in multiple columns.
  • The Stele C from Tres Zapotes 1939 unearthed a fragment, with a heavily eroded column text and a date of the Long Count for September 4, 32 ( Julian ) BC The rest was found in 1969.
  • A stone mask in the Teotihuacán style with around 100 characters.
  • Several very identical stelae of Cerro de las Mesas, contain one or two columns, the short, heavily weathered text and each a Long Count date from the first centuries after Christ.
  • A shard of Chiapa de Corzo, with few signs.
  • The stele of Chiapa de Corzo 2 with a date of the Long Count, the December 9 ( Julian ) of the year is equal to 36 before Christ.

Entzifferungsversuch

The two North American linguist John Justeson and Terrence Kaufman in 1993 published a Entzifferungsversuch in which they duly postulated the language of the inscription of La Mojarra as to the Mixe- Zoque language family. Later they released on the basis of a newly discovered part of the same inscription, confirmation of their previous results and a very detailed summary. From other specialists, particularly the Maya writing, the results of the two scientists were greatly in doubt.

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