Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex’ Formula
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The Maya were gifted mathematicians, famously using sophisticated calculations to chart the heavens and create various calendars. Yet, the individuals behind these complex numerical feats were unknown to modern researchers—until now.
Reported by 1 outlet — Smithsonian. See all sources ↓
The Maya were gifted mathematicians, famously using sophisticated calculations to chart the heavens and create various calendars. Yet, the individuals behind these complex numerical feats were unknown to modern researchers—until now. Archaeologists for the first time deciphered the name of a Maya mathematician and astronomer from the Maya Classic Period: Sak Tahn Waax, which means “White-chested fox,” they report in a new paper published in the journal Antiquity. Researchers discovered the individual’s name at a more than six-square-mile site in Guatemala called Xultun, which was once a bustling city within the Maya’s Yucatán Peninsula empire.
Read the full report at Smithsonian ↗
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- The Maya were gifted mathematicians, famously using sophisticated calculations to chart the heavens and create various calendars. Yet, the individuals behind these complex numerical feats were unknown to modern researchers—until now.
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Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex’ Formula
Sources1TypeCoverageSmithsonian