This image of a Classic Period vessel (specifically dated to between 600 AD and 900 AD) shows a scribe holding a container of paint. It comes from the Mexican state of Campeche. From Yale University Art Gallery. |
Job as a Scribe
A page from the Madrid Codex. From An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs. |
A page from the Dresden Codex. From An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs. |
In the Late Classic, archaeologists know there were ranks for scribes. (And scribes could even have more than one title.) One title with a lot of status was aj kuju'un (spelled other ways, including ah k'u hun.) One translation of this term is "he of the holy books" and could mean something like "royal librarian." Only really good scribes were given this title. Scribes who had this title may have had a lot of responsibility -- they may have done things like make treaties, train other scribes, keep track of tribute, watch over rituals, and do marriage negotiations. They may also have been astronomers. (Another of the titles in the Late Classic was itz'at, ("sage," "wiseman.") It was title that gave a scribe a lot of status.)
In the Classic Period, scribes had another job too, which they shared with other royalty: the job of warrior.
Tools
Ancient Maya scribes made their ink wells out of conch shells, which they cut in half. As for what they drew with, they used pens made of quills for thin lines, and brushes for thicker lines. For stone, scribes, of course, used chisels, themselves made of stone.
Appearance
In ancient Maya art, there are certain features that you can search for to see if a person in the image you're looking at is a scribe. One is if there is stylized "paper" with spots that go out from under their arm. (An example of this "paper" can be seen in the image at the top of the post.) Another is if they're holding an ink well.
When drawn, an aj kuju'un has certain clothing. One is a sarong that is tied around the waist. The other was a headdress that these images wore. This headdress has a "stick bundle" set in a knot that is tied at the forehead; one of two items would be set into the headdress: a waterlily or a tool used for writing. (You may see a description of this headdress given to scribes in general.)
Consideration: Place in Society
There's some disagreement about whether or not scribes belonged to the elite -- they either may have been or were part of the elite. One view says that their families were royal: if you were a son of a ruler, but you weren't the "crown prince," then you would be a scribe. (However, there were also rulers who were scribes.)
Speaking of society, you may be wondering: were there female scribes? This seems to depend somewhat. There isn't strong evidence for it, goes one line of thought. Another says that, among the scribes who were rulers, there were female scribe-rulers.
This vessel dates from around 700 AD to 800 AD, and was made in Mexico. This side shows a monkey scribe god. (The other shows K'awiil, who you may see called god K. From Yale University Art Gallery. |
Other than the monkey gods, the young aspect of the Maize God is thought to have been a patron god of scribes. Itzamná (god D) A scribe himself, he was connected to lots of things, including scribes -- and may be a patron god of scribes.
Other gods connected to scribes were the Paddler Gods and Pauahutun (god N.) A god known as the Fox God may have been a patron of scribes as well, though it may be he was really a patron of sculptors.
References:
Google Books: "World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways Through"; Michael Chazan; 2018
Google Books: "Philosophy of the Ancient Maya: Lords of Time"; Alexus McLeod; 2018
Google Books: "Art and Myth of the Ancient Maya"; Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos; 2017
University of Texas at Austin: SALSA: "The Scribe’s Hand Betrays His Tongue: Diglossia Among the Ancient Maya"; Mary Kate Kelly
Google Books: "Encyclopedia of the ancient Maya"; Walter R.T. Witschey (editor); 2016
Mesoweb: Ancient Cultures Institute: The PARI Journal 16, Volume 2; 2015; "The Maya Goddess of Painting, Writing, and Decorated Textiles"; Timothy W. Knowlton
Google Books: "Space and Sculpture in the Classic Maya City"; Alexander Parmington; 2011
Google Books: "The Technology of Maya Civilization: Political Economy and Beyond in Lithic Studies"; Zachary X Hruby, Geoffrey E. Brasswell, Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos (editors); 2011
Digital Collections at Texas State University: "Maya Scribes who would be Kings: Shamanism, the Underworld, and Artistic Production in the Late Classic Period "; Barry B. Kidder; December 2009
Google Books: "Maya Calendar Origins: Monuments, Mythistory, and the Materialization of Time"; Prudence M. Rice; 2007
Google Books: "The Ancient Maya" sixth edition; Robert J. Sharer, Loa P. Traxler; 2006
University of Florida: "Mayan Writing"; Andrea M. Ranada
(Power Point that downloads.)
University of Maine Hudson Museum: The Underworld
Yale University Art Gallery: Vessel with Scribes
Image Credits:
Yale University Art Gallery: Vessel with Scribes
Yale University Art Gallery: Bowl with a Monkey Scribe and K’awiil, God of Lightning
Project Gutenberg: "An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs" Sylvanus Griswold Morley; 1915
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