Star war facts for kids

Glyph from Naranjo Hieroglyphic Stairway (AD 631)

Glyph from Tortuguero Monument 6 (AD 669)

Examples of 'star war' glyphs

Have you ever heard of a 'star war' in ancient times? In the Maya civilization, a star war was a very important battle. These big conflicts happened between different Maya cities or groups. They took place over a thousand years ago.

The name "star war" comes from a special symbol, called a glyph, that the Maya used in their writing. This glyph shows a star. Sometimes it looks like the star is raining liquid onto the earth. Other times, it's a star above a shell. We know this symbol means a type of action, but its exact sound and meaning are still a mystery. A smart person named Linda Schele, who studied ancient writings, first called these symbols and the battles they represented "star wars."

What Happened in a Star War?

The ancient Maya recorded different kinds of battles. They used special symbols for each one. The "star war" glyph was used for the most important wars. These were huge conflicts that often led to one city defeating another.

When a star war happened, big changes followed.

• A new family of rulers might take over.
• One city might completely control another.
• Or, a city that was once controlled might win its freedom.

Losing a star war could be terrible for the defeated city. For example, the first recorded star war was in 562 AD. The cities of Caracol and Tikal fought. Tikal lost badly. For 120 years after, Tikal became much weaker. Its population went down. People stopped building new monuments. Some old monuments in the Great Plaza were even destroyed.

Another star war happened on December 24, 631 AD. Calakmul defeated Naranjo. Naranjo's ruler was killed in this battle. In February 744 AD, Tikal got its revenge. It attacked Caracol and captured a special statue of Caracol's ruler. This statue was like a personal god for him. A stone carving from Tortuguero, made in 669 AD, describes what happened after a star war. It says, "the blood was pooled, the skulls were piled." This shows how intense these battles were.

Stars and Planets: A Connection?

Experts who study the Maya have noticed something interesting. The dates of many recorded star wars often match up with events in the sky. These events usually involve the planet Venus. This could be when Venus first appears in the morning or evening sky. Or it could be when Venus is hidden from view.

The Maya and other ancient groups in Mesoamerica believed Venus brought war. This is different from Europeans, who thought Mars was the war planet. The Maya called Venus Chak Ek', or "Great Star." They watched Venus very closely. They even made detailed calculations about its position. One of the few surviving Maya books, the Dresden Codex, has tables for tracking Venus. This book even shows Venus as a figure spearing people as it moves across the sky.

Most recorded star war dates (70%) happened when Venus was visible in the evening. An even higher number (84%) matched Venus's first appearance in the evening. Star wars also seemed to happen more often in the dry season. This was usually from November to January. Few star wars happened during planting season. None were recorded during harvest time, from mid-September to late October.

There might also be a link between star wars and solar eclipses. Some star wars at Tikal happened shortly after eclipses. In one case, a star war in July 743 AD happened just one day after a solar eclipse.

We don't know exactly why these sky events and star wars were connected. Maybe eclipses or other events were seen as good signs for battle. The Maya might have thought these were omens, telling them it was a good time to fight. It's also possible that other planets were involved. Many star wars seem to be connected to times when Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn appeared to move backward in the sky. This is called a retrograde period.

Recorded Star Wars

Many star wars are written about in Maya stone carvings. These records cover battles from 562 AD to 781 AD. Here are some of them: