JonnyMcA Wrote:
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> Thank you all for this information. So it seems
> based on this small sample of scholars, that while
> we know why some civilisations have a zero point
> (for want of a better terminology)), there is
> little consensus as to why the current cycle of 13
> baktuns begins in 3114 BC, but they suspect that
> it has something to do with some celestial cycle.
It is not the question of a "small sample", but who the scholars are. Anthony Aveni- an astronomer at Colgate- is the founder and main exponent of archaeoastronomy studies in the New World and the most qualified person to deal with proposed astronomical events in relation to mesoamerican mythology. Aveni's wikipedia [
en.wikipedia.org]
David Stuart, holder of the Linda Schele Chair in Mesoamerican Art and Writing at the University of Texas. He started deciphering Maya hieroglyphics when he was 8 years old and won a MacArthur "genius" grant at 18. here is wikipedia [
en.wikipedia.org])
> Of course three authors may not reflect academic
> consensus, and there may be other information out
> there. I know from my own research that there
> doesnt seem to be any reason why this current
> Baktun count starts when it does.
If there is any academic consensus among reputable Mayanists about this -- it is that 1) the Maya said nothing about a catastrophe in 2012 and 2) that 3114 BC has nothing to do with any actual physical phenomenon.
Bernard
>
> Jonny
>
>
>
> The path to good scholarship is paved with
> imagined patterns. - David M Raup
