The news of an outstanding discovery in the field of archeology swept across the Web, like a huge ocean wave. I will try to "embrace the immensity" and convey the children's delight of scientists. Indeed, they have something to be proud of.
Science does not stand still. The method of laser scanning of the Earth's surface from a helicopter, invented not so long ago, has borne fruit. As a result of archaeological excavations carried out under several Mayan pyramids in the territory of modern Guatemala, two burials were discovered that were not touched by robbers.
Among the artifacts, a skeleton with teeth inlaid with jade deserves special attention. Such teeth indicate that the deceased belongs to the ruling elite. Analysis showed that this supposed ruler died in middle age. A human tibia was found next to him, probably belonging to his servant or one of his ancestors.
In an interview with The Guardian, archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli said the bones were a success. They may belong to a high-ranking POW. However, until the inscription is deciphered, it is too early to draw any conclusions.
A second grave was found under another pyramid in the ruins of the city of Holmul. Next to the remains, archaeologists have found exquisite ceramics, a necklace with the image of the sun god, bone products, shells and a large stone bench.
The jade (jadeite) necklace could be a war trophy. The inscription on the decoration ("Yuknuom Ti Chan, holy king of Kaanul") says that it belonged to the ruler of other lands. Mayan specialist Alexander Tokovinin believes that this tomb could reveal the secret of a special dynasty called "serpent kings." Their era has been studied extremely insufficiently and there is little information about it. It is known that the capital of the "snake kingdom" was located about 160 kilometers from the place of discovery.
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“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Estrada-Belli. According to the researcher, thanks to the development of new technologies, mankind is on the verge of grandiose discoveries, and books on the history of pre-Columbian America will soon have to be rewritten. Modern historians, despite a fruitful work lasting a hundred years, know only one percent of the information.
Until now, the true reasons for the collapse of the Mayan empire remained a mystery. Now archaeologists are sure that a bloody civil war was going on inside the state. “It looks like Game of Thrones or medieval Europe,” Estrada-Belli joked.
But can it really be considered a find of the century, which has no equal? .. And who were the "snake kings", in the reality of which even skeptics now believe?
The dynasty got its name because of the emblem - a snake's head, which adorned its steles and clothes. In the book Chronicle of the Mayan Kings and Queens, archaeologist Nikolai Grube and researcher Simon Martin describe this mysterious kingdom as a kind of black hole that captured more and more Mayan settlements and, as a result, became the heart of a powerful empire.
It is known that one of the most influential and legendary rulers, the queen and an outstanding commander with a very “poetic” name K'abel, had “snake” roots. She occupied the throne with her husband, but surpassed him in everything, encouraging the development of the arts and sciences and paying much attention to politics and military affairs.
The grave of Lady K'abel, a Mayan Hatshepsut, was found in 2012. I don’t know why Francisco Estrada-Belli forgot to mention this equally sensational discovery. Perhaps in our super-fast age, when the events of one day would last for many months, four years is too long ago.
But in August 2016 - just two months ago - during the excavations of the ancient city of Shunantunich (the territory of the modern state of Belize), a unique tomb was also found with the remains of a ruler from the Snake dynasty - an athletic man of 20-30 years old. Also, jade beads, animal bones, volcanic glass blades and 36 ceramic vessels were recovered from the burial - a real treasure.
The "serpentine" riddle haunted other researchers - Sandra Balansario and Enrique Nalda, who in 2004 found evidence of the existence of another ruler - the Witness of Heaven, who conquered rebellious cities. In 1996, Ramon Carrasco dug up a pyramid at Calakmula and found a luxuriously decorated burial chamber containing the remains of a king named Fireclaw, a young woman and child.
There were other finds as well. They allowed scientists to assume that the empire was destroyed by two hostile dynasties, constantly at war with each other. Over the course of 40 years of painstaking archaeological work, the fascinating history of the Serpent Kingdom itself has passed from the category of myths into reality, acquiring amazing details. The names of rulers, their heirs and heirs, power and decline, love and wars - all this popular science information can be found on educational sites.
Seeing in the title of several resources the phrase "the secret of the serpent kings", I looked forward to the story of bloodthirsty reptilians, experiments on earthlings and hidden mechanisms, thanks to which the pyramids could fly to distant stars. And I found only dry facts, and even then only partially true. About people - the same as you and me. About a history in which, after many thousands of years, everything repeats itself, like a distant echo.
But the past, even served as a dry and tasteless dish, is one big fairy tale and mystery, where everything is connected by a single thread. And to follow its patterns and intricacies is an extremely exciting activity. That is why in the guise of the Phrygian goddess Cybele (who, by the way, was called the Idea Mother), I see the ghost of K'abel. And I think that the Indian and Indo-Scythian Serpentine Dynasties, as well as the Chinese Lung Wang - "Dragon Kings" - must have common origins. After all, our entire history is just a weak vibration of a cosmic boson string. One of many played by God who creates the universes.
Author: Elena Muravyova
