Archaeologists working at the Xultun ruins of the Mayan civilisation have reported striking finds, including the oldest-known Mayan astronomical tables. The site, in Guatemala, includes the first known instance of Mayan art painted on the walls of a dwelling.
The oldest ever Mayan calendar has been unearthed by archaeologists at the Xultun ruins in Guatemala.
For years the fact that the Mayan calendar appears to end in 2012 has lead many people to believe that it marks a prediction for the end of the world. The new discovery however has helped to rule out that the Mayans ever intended to make such a prediction, instead their calendar system revolves around cycles that when combined provide dates that stretch over 7,000 years in to the future.
"The ancient Maya predicted the world would continue, that 7,000 years from now, things would be exactly like this," said Dr. William Saturno. "We keep looking for endings. The Maya were looking for a guarantee that nothing would change. It's an entirely different mindset."
Source BBC News
