Dresden Codex

E646451

The Dresden Codex is one of the oldest surviving pre-Columbian Maya books, renowned for its detailed astronomical tables, ritual calendars, and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Dresden Codex canonical 7

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (60)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Maya codex
archaeological artifact
pre-Columbian manuscript
acquisition acquired by the Royal Library in Dresden in the 18th century
brought to Europe in the colonial period
associatedCalendar 260-day Tzolk’in calendar
linked to: Tzolkʼin calendar

365-day Haab’ calendar
Long Count calendar
collection Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden
conservationStatus fragile
partially damaged by water during World War II
contains New Year pages
Venus tables
astronomical tables
divinatory almanacs
eclipse tables
hieroglyphic inscriptions
rain and agriculture almanacs
ritual calendars
containsDeityDepictions Chaac
Itzamna
various Maya gods and goddesses
countryOfOrigin Mexico
culture Maya civilization
currentLocation Dresden, Germany
linked to: Dresden
dateOfCreation 11th–12th century
digitalAvailability digitized and accessible online by SLUB Dresden
dimension approximately 20 cm in height
approximately 3.5 meters in total length when unfolded
earliestPossibleDate 10th century
format screenfold codex
hasPart Venus table section
almanacs of gods and rituals
eclipse table section
flood and catastrophe pages
language Classical Maya
latestPossibleDate 13th century
material amatl paper
bark paper
namedAfter city of Dresden
numberOfPages 39 leaves
78 pages (recto and verso)
origin Maya Lowlands
linked to: Maya lowlands

Yucatán Peninsula
relatedWork Grolier Codex
Madrid Codex
Paris Codex
reproduction facsimile editions published
scriptDirection left-to-right
top-to-bottom in columns
shelfmark Mscr. Dresd. R 310
significance key source for understanding Maya astronomy
key source for understanding Maya calendar systems
one of the most complete surviving Maya codices
one of the oldest surviving books from the Americas
usedFor astronomical prediction
divination
ritual planning
writingMedium painted with mineral and organic pigments
writingSystem Maya hieroglyphic script

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

God D appearsIn Dresden Codex
Mesoamerican mythology hasText Dresden Codex
Grolier Codex relatedWork Dresden Codex
Paris Codex sisterCodex Dresden Codex
Grolier Codex relatedWork Dresden Codex
Maya astronomy keyText Dresden Codex