The Ajaw’s Own Words: Oration and Royal Testimony in Ancient Maya Texts

What did ancient Maya kings actually say? Only a handful of ancient Maya texts directly convey their spoken words. Although comprising only a few texts at Copan, Honduras, this sub-genre of official literature offers important insights into underlying meanings of Classic Maya royal ritual and performance. The location of these texts within interior spaces of Copan’s architecture also points to the key roles of oration and ancestral address in ancient temple ceremonies.

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology presents the Tatiana Proskouriakoff Award Lecture, "The Ajaw’s Own Words: Oration and Royal Testimony in Ancient Maya Texts" on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at Harvard's Geological Lecture Hall (24 Oxford St.). A public reception will follow at the Peabody Museum.

About David Stuart, Tatiana Proskouriakoff Award recipient

David Stuart is the Linda and David Schele Professor of Mesoamerican Art and Writing, University of Texas at Austin. His primary research interests are the archaeology and epigraphy of ancient Maya civilization. At age 18, Stuart became the youngest winner of a MacArthur Fellowship for his work deciphering Maya hieroglyphs. He has conducted field research at numerous archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. He was featured in the award-winning 2008 PBS documentary Cracking the Maya Code.

About the Tatiana Proskouriakoff Award

A nationally respected scholar, Tatiana Proskourikoff came to the Peabody Museum in 1958 as an expert in Maya art, architecture, and hieroglyphic writing. Her research became the foundation for the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics, and her studies of Maya art are considered classics among archaeologists.

The Proskouriakoff Award was established by a gift from Landon T. Clay to recognize the artistic achievements of non-European cultures of the New World along with outstanding contributions in the field of New World Indian Studies.