Unlocking the Secrets of Maya Writing: Justin Kerr and the Decipherment of Maya Script

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Rollout Keepers: Papers on Maya Ceramic Texts, Scenes, and Styles in Honor of Justin and Barbara Kerr" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The documentation effort within the realm of Maya writing research spans nearly a century and a half, commencing with the systematic recording of Maya inscriptions during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Throughout the initial half of the twentieth century, archaeologists associated with the Carnegie Institution distinguished themselves through their exceptional dedication. Their endeavors encompassed the comprehensive documentation and subsequent publication of a substantial corpus that would prove to be of paramount significance in the subsequent decoding of the Maya script. Among the most preeminent documentation undertakings in the latter half of the 20th century is the pioneering documentation by Justin Kerr, who employed innovative photographic rollout techniques to capture inscribed ceramic vessels. In the late 1990s, Kerr was a trailblazer in recognizing the vast potential of the World Wide Web, making his documentation freely accessible to the public on the Internet. The advancements achieved in the decipherment of the Maya script to date owe much to Justin Kerr. I intend to underscore the particular significance of Justin Kerr's vase documentation in the decipherment process, and I also aim to engage in a discussion regarding the open-access paradigm, which Justin Kerr was the first to introduce to Maya research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Rollout Keepers: Papers on Maya Ceramic Texts, Scenes, and Styles in Honor of Justin and Barbara Kerr   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38469.0