Amazing architecture of a Mayan Temple

Mayan inventions include a calander and a complex heiroglyphics system. While it cannot be said that they were the sole inventors of such advancements, they did invent them independently in the Western Hemisphere, and their calendar and wrintings differed from that of the Egyptions and Chinese.

While not strictly an invention per se, Mayan art is widely considered to be some of the most beautiful created in the ancient world. The jade pictured can be seen to be inscribed with very specific details.

Also interesting is that the Mayans independently developed a concept of zero in their numbering system. While not generally considered a civilization known for their mathematics, they did nonetheless have an advanced grasp of it. Many of their dates and measurements are surprisingly specific.

Astronomy is another field that the Mayans. Again, the Mayans are not as well known as other ancient civilizations for their astronomy, but data suggests they were surprisingly advanced in their findings. They are thought to be the only pre-telescopic society that realized the Orion Nebula is fuzzy. While this is not known for certain, the information comes from a folk tale that references the Orion constellations part of the sky.

The Mayan’s were a surprisingly advanced race, and usually are not mentioned with the likes of the Chinese and Ancient Greeks for inventiveness. But they actually had much in common with their European and Chinese counterparts.

Related posts:

1. Assyrian Inventions
2. Ben Franklins Inventions – Bifocals