The Ancient Maya Script of Hand Forms Embedded in Figural Art: A Decipherment of Numerals Signed by the Rulers of Altar Q¹

Abstract Ancient Maya texts are informationally dominated by hieroglyphic inscriptions and visually dominated by figural art with distinctly formed hands. The hands suggest iconographically embedded hand signs, which would constitute a unique modality of semantic expression and a discourse complement to hieroglyphic writing. However, the hands have eluded decipherment. Here I take a novel approach. I use relevant phonological parameters (handshape, orientation, position) as features for defining a hand form as a graphic symbol. I also exploit inferences of scribal design and composition to constrain possible hand‐sign values. Notably, I examine the hand‐sign and hieroglyphic inscriptions of Altar Q, an 8th‐century sculptural text that is ideal for its relative abundance of graphic hand signs, sizable hieroglyphic inscription and wealth of contextualising information. The resulting evidence (including isomorphisms between hand signs and hieroglyphs, intratextual references for hand‐sign values, and direct links between hand‐sign and hieroglyphic information) converges on a single solution: Each of Altar Q's hand signs is an esoterically formed numeral for one of four Long Count dates. I thus demonstrate and mathematically verify eleven unique numerical hand signs. Although partial, this initial decipherment of Ancient Maya graphic hand signs provides a strong base for future efforts.