Scientist Gerardo Aldana of the University of California, Santa Barbara has described the purpose of the Venus calendar found on pages 27-28 of the Dresden Codex, one of four extant Mayan manuscripts. A study on this topic was published in the Journal of Astronomy in Culture and was briefly reported by the institution.
The Venus calendar allows you to track the phases of the second planet of the system at the distance from the Sun, taking into account the correction for a leap year. According to Aldan, the manuscript was created in the classical era (800-1000 AD) under the direction of Kakupakal from the city of Chichen Itza. This man held a high position and was, according to the anthropologist, an Indian scientist and astronomer.
The description of the movement of Venus and the construction of the Mayan calendar were based, as Aldan believes, on centuries-old astronomical observations carried out from the 1st century AD. The scientist believes that in texts about Venus, the transitive verb k'al does not mean “tying” or “holding”, but “putting in”.
Fragment of the Dresden Codex with the Venus calendar
Photo: Gerardo Aldana
The table that includes the calculation of the Venusian calendar taking into account the leap year, according to Aldan, is underestimated, and the calculations of the Maya contained in it take into account the most important achievements of the Indians in astronomy and mathematics.
Scientists were interested in the mathematical aspects of the Venus calendar in the 1930s. Most experts believe that the Mayan calendar cannot be considered a scientific achievement, since its patterns are explained by contrived numerology, and not by long-term astronomical observations.
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The Dresden Codex is the only fully preserved Mayan verbal and syllabic manuscript. It consists of 39 sheets, written on leather and reaches 3.5 meters in length. The book came to Germany in the 18th century. The Dresden Codex, like the others, contains a set of rules and guidelines adopted during the classical period in Maya society.