Photo: Earliest Maya Writing Found in Guatemala, Researchers Say

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A column of ten hieroglyphs (seen pictured at left) found at an ancient temple in Guatemala could be among the earliest Maya written material ever discovered.

A drawing of the characters (seen pictured at right) offers a clearer view of the glyphs. Scientists say at least one glyph means "lord" or "ruler," but the rest are difficult to decipher.

Images © Science; Photograph by B. Beltrán, drawing by D. Stuart

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