Didn't everyone know that? Well, I suppose it's nice to have it confirmed....
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Last week, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology said a second inscription
mentioning the 2012date is on the carved or molded face of a brick found at the
Comalcalco ruin (above), near the Tortuguero site Photo: ALAMY
Telegraph
The end is not near. At least that's according to a German expert
who says his decoding of a Mayan tablet with a reference to a 2012 date
denotes a transition to a new era and not a possible end of the world as
others have read it.
The interpretation of the hieroglyphs by Sven Gronemeyer of La Trobe
University in Australia was presented for the first time Wednesday at the
archaeological site of Palenque in southern Mexico.
His comments came less than a week after Mexico's archaeology institute
acknowledged there was a second reference to the 2012 date in Mayan
inscriptions, touching of another round of talk about whether it predicts
the end of the world.
Gronemeyer has been studying the stone tablet found years ago at the
archeological site of Tortuguero in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Tabasco.
He said the inscription describes the return of mysterious Mayan god Bolon
Yokte at the end of a 13th period of 400 years, known as Baktuns, on the
equivalent of Dec. 21, 2012. Mayans considered 13 a sacred number. There's
nothing apocalyptic in the date, he said.
The text was carved about 1,300 years ago. The stone has cracked, which has
made the end of the passage almost illegible.
Gronemeyer said the inscription refers to the end of a cycle of 5,125 years
since the beginning of the Mayan Long Count calendar in 3113 B.C.
The fragment was a prophecy of then ruler Bahlam Ajaw, who wanted to plan the
passage of the god, Gronemeyer said.
"For the elite of Tortuguero, it was clear they had to prepare the land
for the return of the god and for Bahlam Ajaw to be the host of this
initiation," he said.
Bolon Yokte, god of creation and war, was to prevail that day in a sanctuary
of Tortuguero.
"The date acquired a symbolic value because it is seen as a reflection of
the day of creation," Gronemeyer said. "It is the passage of a god
and not necessarily a great leap for humanity."
Last week, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology said a second
inscription mentioning the 2012 date is on the carved or molded face of a
brick found at the Comalcalco ruin, near the Tortuguero site. It is being
kept at the institute and is not on display.
Many experts doubt the second inscription is a definite reference to the date
cited as the possible end of the world, saying there is no future tense
marking like there is in the Tortuguero tablet.
The institute has tried to dispel talk of a 2012 apocalypse, the subject of
numerous postings and stories on the Internet. Its latest step was to
arrange a special round table of Mayan experts this week at Palenque, which
is where Gronemeyer made his comments.
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