Christian Prager

Coordinator of Project Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan, Bonn University; Digital epigrapher at University of Bonn; 3D epigraphy

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

New Open Access resource: A Digital Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs, by @idiom_project at @UniBonn, it combines epigraphic research with digital tools, correcting classifications, adding hundreds of signs, and enabling powerful search & filter functions.
https://t.co/JEtMfhsKLG

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

@idiom_project mourns the passing of our friend and colleague Karl Herbert Mayer (1944–2025). He was a dedicated researcher of Maya art and epigraphy, and over nearly five decades, he documented Maya sculpture, contributing over 20,000 photographs to the Maya Image Archive.

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

Publication alert: New publication by @idiom_project , "Stela 64: A New Epigraphic Discovery at Copan, Honduras", by C. Prager, E. Wagner and S. Nakamura, at https://t.co/vuO50xrbI7

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

Discovery alert! During research for the Maya Image Archive of @idiom_project , we identified a drawing by Teobert Maler (1842-1917) in @IAI_Bibliothek, revealing new parts of Yaxchilan Lintel 34’s inscription, allowing full reconstruction of the text. https://t.co/nYt4i0xW2Y

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

A new decipherment by the Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan project @idiom_project : Research Note on the Classic Maya logogram /A'/ for "thigh", just posted online on the project website as Research Note 29! https://t.co/bjDKaGz3T2 #mayaglyph #decipherment

[Charles Jones @AWOL_tweets]

Open Access Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft https://t.co/YQLHk05CDW

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

„Tanz im Varieté“: Verschollen geglaubtes Kirchner-Gemälde für fast sieben Millionen versteigert https://t.co/c40RV7TbKk via @RND_de

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

Traces of looting of Maya monuments: the sawing of Stela 1 at Sacul, photo by Karl Herbert Mayer in 2002; from the Maya Image Archive, which is part of the Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan project at Bonn @idiom_project https://t.co/QyXgnh9eXr

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

A new research note by the Maya Dictionary Project @idiom_project , authored by Sebastián Matteo on a looted Maya monument from the Classic Maya site of La Corona (Saknikte'), see also https://t.co/iD96oAD0eb and https://t.co/4vdq94c806, https://t.co/dp85jQ5wUC #ArtMarket

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

Courtesy of Proyecto Coordinación Nacional de Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural working at Tonina, @idiom_project is proud to present new inscriptions and drawings from the Maya site of Tonina, drawn by Bonn project member Guido Krempel https://t.co/997vcwlhlj

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

@Was_Ihr_Wollt "Jadescheibe oder Kreis - Reflexion über manuelle und automatisierte Erkennung von Schriftzeichen ..." https://t.co/8uySQJMguo #dblp

[@INAHCampeche @inahcampeche]

🗓Miércoles 15 de noviembre

⏰19:15 H

📍Auditorio del Centro Universitario de Exposiciones

Descarga el programa en el siguiente enlace:
https://t.co/70CLlsdQPg...

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

@Majora__Z @UniBonn @idiom_project Unfortunately it is only in person attendance, thanks for asking! Best Chr

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

December 4-10, 2023: The 28th European Maya Conference at @UniBonn, Dept. of Anthropology of the Americas, in cooperation with #Wayeb, the European Assoc. of Mayanists, Workshops and Symposium, more: https://t.co/FcN8UThYpq, register: https://t.co/AehLNkMmYM @idiom_project

[Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. @AKProvenienz]

Im Rahmen des "Kolloquium #Provenienzforschung" lädt das #DeutscheZentrumKulturgutverluste am 20.11. zum Vortrag "Missionary ‘Collecting’ in Colonial Contexts – Aspects of the Relationship between Mission and Colonialism" ein. Mehr Infos hier: https://t.co/kpPi3dxv2Z

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

The 28th European Maya Conference is co-organised by the European Association of Mayanists (Wayeb) and the Department for the Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn. Registration at https://t.co/AehLNkMmYM

[Christian Prager @CHPrager]

Want to learn Maya hieroglyphs in four days? Register now for workshops and the 28th European Maya Conference (#EMC2023), on "Regionalism and Unity" in the Maya region, on cultural variations & commonalities. Hosted at the University of Bonn, Dec 4-10 https://t.co/FcN8UThYpq

[Daniel Dennett @danieldennett]

https://t.co/rRdeGs4eTo

[Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures @ISAC_UChicago]

Curious about our highlight tablet of Back to School in Babylonia. What does it say and why do you see fingerprints and marks? Join us on October 4th at 7 pm CT and follow the endeavors of a Babylonian student who wrote this tablet.

[Archaeo - Histories @archeohistories]

Pi (π) has been known for almost 4000 years, but even if we calculated number of seconds in those 4000 years and calculated π to that number of places, we would still only be approximating its actual value.

Ancient Babylonians calculated area of a circle by taking 3 times square of its radius, which gave a value of pi = 3. One Babylonian tablet (1900–1680 BC) indicates a value of 3.125 for π, which is a closer approximation.

Rhind Papyrus (1650 BC) gives us insight into mathematics of ancient Egypt. Egyptians calculated area of a circle by a formula that gave the approximate value of 3.1605 for π.

First calculation of π was done by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of greatest mathematicians of the ancient world. Archimedes approximated area of a circle by using Pythagorean Theorem to find areas of two regular polygons: polygon inscribed within circle and polygon within which circle was circumscribed. Since actual area of circle lies between the areas of inscribed and circumscribed polygons, areas of polygons gave upper and lower bounds for area of circle. Archimedes knew that he had not found value of π but only an approximation within those limits. In this way, Archimedes showed that π is between 3 1/7 and 3 10/71.

A similar approach was used by Zu Chongzhi (429–501 CE), a brilliant Chinese mathematician and astronomer. Zu Chongzhi would not have been familiar with Archimedes’ method, but because his book has been lost, little is known of his work. He calculated value of ratio of circumference of a circle to its diameter to be 355/113. To compute this accuracy for π, he must have started with an inscribed regular 24,576-gon and performed lengthy calculations involving hundreds of square roots carried out to 9 decimal places.

Mathematicians began using Greek letter π in 1700s. Introduced by William Jones in 1706 CE, use of symbol was popularized by Leonhard Euler, who adopted it in 1737.

A 18th Century CE, French mathematician named Georges Buffon devised a way to calculate π based on probability.

📷 : Babylonian Clay Tablet (1900–1680 BC), indicates a value of 3.125 for π

British Museum

#archaeohistories