Ancient Maya Geometry: The Shapes of Sacred Space with Ed Barnhart
This lecture
will present evidence of an underappreciated aspect of ancient Maya knowledge –
geometry. The ancient Maya repeatedly
used a set of geometric proportions to build their homes, temples, and
sculptural works of art. Those proportions
were derived through a careful observation of geometry in nature, often
referred to in other ancient civilizations as “sacred geometry”. Beginning with a review of what those natural
proportions are, evidence of their existence in the designs of ancient Maya
buildings and art will be presented.
Further, ethnographic studies will demonstrate that certain modern Maya
communities continue to use those same proportions in the construction of their
homes today.
Dr. Edwin Barnhart is a renowned Latin American archaeologist who has appeared on History Channel, Discovery Channel, Canada’s Religion Channel, and Japanese Public Television. He is the Director of Maya Exploration Center, a Fellow of the Explorer Club, and a widely recognized authority on ancient astronomy, mathematics, and calendar systems. During his over 20 years in Latin American archaeology, he has discovered the ancient city of Ma'ax Na in Belize, mapped over 4,000 ancient buildings, and published over a dozen articles and books. His research on ancient sciences has taken him to over a dozen countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Through the Teaching Company’s Great Courses he’s produced 4 video courses including 104 30-minute lectures on subjects within the topic of ancient American civilizations. His most recent projects are an 8-part travel show for Great Courses named Exploring the Mayan World and a podcast series called ArchaeoEd.
Learn more about Dr. Barnhart's work:
Maya Exploration Center (He is the Director)
http://www.mayaexploration.com/
His Podcast ArchaeoED