Leyden plaque facts for kids

The Leyden plaque is a special jade stone plate from the ancient Maya civilization. It's also called the Leiden plate. This amazing object comes from the Early Classic period of Maya history. Even though it was found near the Caribbean coast, experts think it might have been made in a famous Maya city called Tikal. Today, you can see the Leyden plaque at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands. It's one of the oldest Maya items that uses the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.

How the Leyden Plaque Was Found

The Leyden plaque was discovered by chance in 1864. A Dutch engineer named S.A. van Braam found it. He was working for a company that was digging a canal. This was near a place called Puerto Barrios today. It's in an area between Guatemala and Honduras.

His team was digging through what looked like an ancient burial mound. Inside, they found the small jade plate. They also found copper bells and pieces of pottery. The plate was taken to the Netherlands in 1864. It was given to the National Museum of Ethnology.

Studying This Ancient Object

Scientists started studying the Leyden plaque soon after it was found. Leeman wrote the first scientific description in 1877. Many others followed, like Holden in 1880. Valentine started to figure out the carvings in 1881.

In 1938, Frances and Sylvanus Morley did important work. They helped figure out the exact date on the plate. Their study is still one of the most important about the plaque.

The Maya Calendar and Zero

The date on the Leyden plaque helped us learn about Maya time and calendars. It is one of the earliest examples of a repeating calendar in Central America. It's also special because it shows the oldest known use of the Maya symbol for "zero."

This zero symbol looks like a sitting person. It appears twice on the plaque. Once, it helps form the date "0 Yaxkin" in the Haab' calendar. The other time, it shows a king called Moon-Bird accessing his throne.

What the Leyden Plaque Looks Like

The plaque is a small, rectangular object. It is made of pale green jadeite. It measures about 21.7 centimeters long and 8.6 centimeters wide. Both sides of the plaque have carvings. These include drawings and glyphs, which are like ancient symbols or pictures that mean words.

There is a hole at the top of the plaque. This suggests it was worn as a pendant. It was probably used as a waist plate. Even though it was found far from Tikal, its possible original home, it dates from the Early Classic era. This shows that valuable objects were kept and used for hundreds of years in Mesoamerica.

The Front Carving

One side of the plaque shows a richly dressed man. His head and lower body are seen from the side. But his chest faces forward. His feet are placed one behind the other. This carving shows a victorious lord. He might be a ruler from Tikal.

He wears six celts (stone tools) and trophy heads around his waist. He stands with captives he has defeated. He also holds an atlatl, which is a type of spear-thrower. It looks like a two-headed serpent. These serpents have a human head in their mouths. This is a special sign of the Sun God. Carvings like this, showing a ruler's inauguration, are common in the Maya world.

The Back Inscription

The back of the plaque has an inscription. It has traces of red powder called cinnabar. This inscription tells about a king's crowning. It happened on September 15, 320 AD. This is one of the earliest dates recorded from the Maya Classic period.

The inscription has fifteen glyphs carved neatly in one column. The date written is 8.14.3.1.12 1 Eb 0 Yaxk'in. This date matches September 15, 320 AD. The plate likely shows the start of a ruler's reign. This event might have happened at a place called Moon-Zero-Bird Place. It involved a ruler named Way Ko? Chanal Chak Wak.

For a long time, people thought "Moon-Zero-Bird" was the king's name. But recent studies disagree. They suggest it might be a place name. While the plaque could be linked to Tikal, there is no strong proof. "Moon-Zero-Bird" does not appear in Tikal's lists of kings. However, it does appear as a place name linked to creation and the Maize god at Tikal.

The Leyden Plaque Today

The Leyden Plaque is now on display. You can find it in the Central-American gallery. This is at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, the Netherlands.

The Leyden Plaque is the most famous object in the museum's collection. Copies of it have been given to museums, politicians, and groups worldwide. Its image is also on the one quetzal banknote. This is the money used in Guatemala. It was chosen as a national symbol of Guatemala in 2006.

There has been some discussion about who owns the object. In 1988, there was a Maya exhibition in Texas. The museum in Leiden asked for protection for the plate. This was to make sure it could not be taken. It is not clear if the object could be called "looted art" (art taken illegally). If it were, Dutch rules might mean it would have to go back to Guatemala.

Images for kids

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  Carving on the Leiden Plate