Судлаачид Мексикийн Чалкацинго дахь агуйн ханан дээрх бүдгэрсэн тэмдэгтүүдийг дижитал аргаар сэргээж, эртний Теотиуакан хотын соёлтой холбоотой шинэ баримтуудыг тогтоов.
Копенгагений их сургуулийн судлаач Кристоф Хельмке тэргүүтэй баг 2022 онд Чалкацинго дахь агуйн 19-р хэсэгт судалгаа хийжээ. 1980-аад онд анх бүртгэгдсэн ч төдийлөн анхааралд өртөөгүй байсан улаан өнгийн гурван тэмдэгтийг дижитал дүрс сайжруулах програм ашиглан тодруулсан байна. Энэхүү судалгааны үр дүн Antiquity сэтгүүлд хэвлэгджээ.
Судлаачдын тайлбарласнаар, эхний тэмдэгт нь “Дуулдаг уул” хэмээх газар зүйн нэрийг илэрхийлж байгаа бөгөөд энэ нэр Теотиуакан хотын ханын зурагт ч мөн дүрслэгдсэн байдаг. Энэ нь тухайн үед хүмүүс энэхүү агуй руу мөргөл үйлдэхээр хол зам туулдаг байсныг илтгэж болзошгүй юм. Хоёр дахь тэмдэгт нь дайчны хувцас, зэвсэгтэй холбоотой байж болох бөгөөд гурав дахь тэмдэгт нь оддын дүрс бүхий хүрээ юм.
Агуйн хана болон таазан дээрх түлэгдлийн ул мөр нь уг байгууламжийг галын зан үйл, тухайлбал хүж асаах эсвэл оршуулгын зан үйлд ашиглаж байсан байж болзошгүй гэсэн таамаглалыг төрүүлж байна. Судлаачид энэхүү тавцанг Теотиуаканы галын зан үйлийн суурь байсан хэмээн үзэж байгаа аж.
Энэхүү олдвор нь Теотиуакан хотын бичгийн тогтолцооны талаарх маргааныг шийдвэрлэхэд чухал нөлөөтэй юм. Судлаачид эдгээр тэмдэгтийг зөвхөн чимэглэлийн зориулалттай бус, харин бодит бичгийн систем байсныг батлах хүчтэй нотолгоо болж байна хэмээн дүгнэжээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A team of researchers has returned to a shallow cliffside cave in Chalcatzingo, Mexico, and used digital enhancement to recover details from three faded red glyphs. Their reading suggests the symbols include a place name also found in Teotihuacan itself, and it strengthens the argument that the city had a real writing system.
Cave 19 sits high on a cliff in a region where people from the powerful ancient city of Teotihuacan established settlements and carried out rituals. Scientists documented the three glyphs in the 1980s, but the paintings drew relatively little attention afterward.
Teotihuacan flourished centuries before the Aztecs and is known for its giant pyramids, culture and art. For decades, experts have debated whether the symbols found on its buildings and pottery were writing or merely decorative pictures. That long-running question is what makes this small cave suddenly interesting.
Going Back to A Forgotten Cave
A team led by Christophe Helmke at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, traveled to the site in 2022. They mapped the cave and took detailed photographs. The images have faded over time, and some parts are now difficult to see with the naked eye, so the researchers later turned to digital photo enhancement software to bring out hidden details.
Once the glyphs were clearer, the scientists compared them with Teotihuacan writing and artwork. Their interpretations appear in a study published in the journal Antiquity, which, according to Phys.org’s report, is where the full details of the work can be found.
Two Glyphs Reveal Two Hidden Meanings
The first image shows a stylized mountain flanked by speech scrolls. The researchers interpret it as a place name meaning Singing Mountain. This exact same name appears in murals miles away in the heart of Teotihuacan, which indicates people traveled all that way on sacred pilgrimages to visit this hill.
The second glyph features a beaded necklace, a cloak and a pointed dart. Because these items were part of warrior attire at Teotihuacan, the researchers suggest the glyph could, maybe, refer to a warrior title.
New Evidence Of Ancient Fire Use
The third and largest design is a rectangular frame decorated with five-pointed stars, centered directly over a low bedrock shelf. The cave wall and ceiling above the shelf show heavy blackening from fire. Because of this, the researchers believe the space was used for fire rituals, possibly involving the burning of incense or the cremation of a funerary bundle. In the words of the study:
“We therefore hypothesize that this frame and the modified bedrock shelf served as the background and elevated base for a Teotihuacan pyrolytic ritual.”
Beyond filling in missing details about the paintings themselves, the study could tell us more about Teotihuacan more broadly. The authors argue that the work at Chalcatzingo strengthens the case for a writing system, concluding that:
“Teotihuacan writing can therefore no longer be dismissed or considered as a set of isolated or emblematic symbols.”
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