Henry Rawlinson, Deciphered Cuneiform > Website

Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet GCB was an English soldier, diplomat and orientalist. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Assyriology." Knowledge of cuneiform was lost until 1835 when Henry Rawlinson, a British East India Company army officer, found the Behistun inscriptions in Persia. Carved in the reign of King Darius of Persia (522 BC-486 BC), they consisted of identical texts in the three official languages of the empire: Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite. The Behistun inscription was to the decipherment of cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone was to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Olmec people were some of the first in the Americas to develop a true writing system. The symbols are called "glyphs", not hieroglyphics.

The language has not yet been definitively identified and work on decipherment is consequently ongoing. It is likely that it is syllabic, like Maya script, where each glyph stands for a consonant-vowel or consonant-vowel-consonant group, as in baor bab.

When they found the Rosetta stone.
There were many attempts to put meanings to the hieroglyphic signs. The Classical Greek and Roman writers, some of whom had visited Egypt, were unable to read the signs and they believed they did not represent a proper writing system but a kind of code: a crocodile stood for anything evil, a hawk for anything quick and so on.

This idea of hieroglyphs as a code was "confirmed" by the writings of an Egyptian, Horappollo, in the 4th or 5th century AD. He wrote a manuscript that was widely copied for hundreds of years and even published as a book in 1505, giving completely fictitious meanings to each of the hieroglyphic signs.

A Jesuit priest, Athanasius Kircher, pretended to be able to translate the writing, but his readings were also total fantasy. it was only towards 1800 that some scholars began to think that hieroglyphs might include phonetic signs.

In 1814 the English linguist Thomas Young began to study the text of the Rosetta Stone and his findings were a major contribution towards the decipherment, but he was still influenced by the false writings of Kircher and others. It was left to the Frenchman Jean-Francois Champollion to complete the work - the full decipherment was made in 1823.

Hieroglyphs did not need to be "discovered" since they have existed in plain sight ever since they were carved on the walls of temples, monuments, stelae, mortuary chapels and tombs all over Egypt.

The problem as that nobody could read the inscriptions that were so obviously used everywhere across the entire country. Without knowing the language used in those inscriptions, decipherment of the script was impossible; only when the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 was it possible to compare the Greek version of the text with the two Egyptian versions. This was an amazing and unusual gift to translators - without the Greek text to compare it with, the Egyptian language and writing system might still be untranslated today.

Main Entry: understanding Part of Speech:adjective Definition: accepting, tolerant Synonyms: compassionate, considerate, discerning, empathetic, forbearing, forgiving, generous, kind, kindly, patient, perceptive, responsive, sensitive, sympathetic Antonyms:intolerant, unaccepting

Main Entry: understanding Part of Speech: nounDefinition: comprehension, appreciation Synonyms:acumen, apperception, apprehension, assimilation, awareness, decipherment, discernment, discrimination, grasp, grip, insight, intellect, intelligence, intuition, judgment, ken, knowing, knowledge, mastery, penetration, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, percipience, perspicacity, prehension, realization, reason, recognition, savvy, sense, sharpness, wit Antonyms:misinterpretation, misunderstanding

Main Entry: understanding Part of Speech: nounDefinition: belief Synonyms: acceptation, conception, conclusion, estimation, idea, import, impression, inkling, intendment, interpretation, judgment, knowledge, meaning, message, notion, opinion, perception, purport, sense, significance, significancy, signification, sympathy, view, viewpoint Antonyms: disbelief, mistake

A:

Until the twentieth century, no one imagined that the early Israelites were polytheistic, or that the Hebrew people once worshipped a pantheon of gods that included several goddesses, including Asherah. So, when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into English the translators looked for meanings for references to Asherah and her totems, also known as asherahs. In the Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings 18:19 speaks of the '400 prophets of Asherah', but the King James Bible gives this as '400 prophets of the groves', which is a meaningless translation. Deuteronomy 16: 21, written at a time when Judah was moving towards monotheism, warns: 'You shall not set up a sacred post (asherah) any kind of pole beside the altar of the Lord your God that you may make.' According to the Bible, an asherah had stood in the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem for about two-thirds of its existence.

Discovery and decipherment of the Ugaritic tablets in the 1930s identified Asherah as a West Semitic goddess. Further research, and archaeological discoveries have shown that Asherah was an important goddess in both Israel and Judah, possibly until the end of the monarchy. Among the many objects discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud were incribed pithoi that identified Asherah with Yahweh (God) and seem to portray her as God's consort. A further inscription found on a tomb wall seems to confirm this relationship.

The asherahs often seem to have been set up in high places, where Asherah could be worshipped. There is some debate whether 'high places' simply meant high ground, in which cases the asherahs could certainly have been groves of trees, or whether these were temples.

Worship of Asherah had ceased by the time of the Return from the Babylonian Exile, although it is possible to imagine that the post-Exilic spirit/goddess known as Wisdom took her place.

It is a stone that was discovered in 1799, inscribed with three different scripts and two languages:

• Top - Egyptian Heiroglyphs
• Middle - Later Demotic - Heiratic writing
• Bottom - Greek

It was written in all three scripts so that the Egyptian priests, the native Egyptians, and the the Greeks and ruling Macedonian aristocracy could read what it said.

It contains 14 lines of hieroglyphs, 32 lines of demotic and 54 lines of Greek. The text is a decree from Ptolemy V describing the repealing of various taxes and instructions to erect statues in temples.

It was created in 196 BCE, discovered by the French in 1799 during Napoleon's takeover of Egypt at Rosetta, a harbour on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, and contributed greatly to the decipherment of the principles of hieroglyphic writing in 1822 by the French scholar Jean-François Champollion, when he recognised that the third version was Greek, and started to work out the equivalence of the other scripts.

The Stone is 114.4 centimeters high at its tallest point, 72.3 centimeters wide and 27.9 centimeters thick, weighs about 760 kg. It was originally thought to be granite or basalt but is currently described as granodiorite and is dark grey-bluish-pinkish in color.

It has been on public display at The British Museum since 1802. In July 2003, Egypt demanded the return of the Rosetta Stone.

The Phoenicians were Semitic peoples who came from the Levant. Their main cities were Sidon, Tyre and Byblos2 In the first millennium, they lived along a 200 km3 stretch of coastline, backing onto the mountains of Lebanon. In the 8th and 7th centuries land constrictions imposed on their homeland by others forced them to venture overseas,4 a necessity which they turned to their advantage, becoming formidable traders dealing in dyes, wood, glass, metalwork and ivory. Their culture was heavily influenced by that of their neighbours, specifically the Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians. The last of these great empires to fall, Assyria, was their eventual Levantine downfall, with the monarchy of the great naval empire of Tyre5 being the last Phoenicians to flee to the islands. The new Phoenician settlements were often little more than ports or enclaves and are found firstly on the Aegean islands6 and then around the southern shores of the Mediterranean, while some of the last were situated on Sicily7 and in Spain.

There was interaction between the Near East and many of the main islands in the second millennium, the Minoans and Mycenaeans both being strong naval powers. There was a subsequent loss of contact between the Aegean, Cyprus and the Syro-Palestine area because of the collapses caused by the Sea Peoples.8 However, archaeological finds, such as those found on some of the islands, indicate that communication was re-established quite quickly. Some of the first Greek sailors of whom we have knowledge are the Euboeans. This is confirmed by finds of Oriental wares in Euboeans graves of the 10th and 9th centuries, and in grave finds of their immediate neighbours.9 In the early first millennium, Phoenician merchants still dominated the markets in areas where otherwise their influence had declined, but they were forced into a mixture of co-operation and competition as local dynasts began to encourage others to their ports. The two main Near Eastern centres that the Greeks visited were Tell Sukas and Al Mina.10 This latter has a confirmed Greek presence from the second half of the 8th century, and here was a likely place for an early cross-fertilisation of ideas.11 In the 8th century there is also evidence of Phoenicians and Greeks intermixing in the West at the Euboean colony of Pithecusae. Crete was another main area of interaction as North Syrian craftsmen were resident here.12 Itanos was traditionally settled by Phoenicians13 and here is found the shrine of Kommos.14 The mixed population of Crete was known in the Greek world for its legal arbitrators both in the contemporary period and in myth. (Cretan Minos was a mythical son of Zeus and Europa,15 and also one of the judges of the dead.) The Cretans even had an office of rememberancer known as the poinkastos who, in exchange for privileges, was responsible for remembering all the city's laws, both sacral and secular.

To discover who influenced the Phoenicians, we must go back to the second millennium. The Aegean Mycenaeans had a minor influence,16 but the main influences came from the Hittites and Egyptians, both of whom were dominant in the Levant. It was mainly features from the surviving Egyptian empire that crept into Phoenician religion, with some identifications being made between Egyptian and Phoenician gods.17 Egyptian influences can be seen at Beth Shou, Lachish, in Crete at Kition where a Bes plaque was discovered in one of the temples, and also at Kommos, where statuettes were found of Sekhmet and Nefertum. The Egyptian influence eventually gave way to that of Assyria, a rising power in the region from the 8th century. Other Semitic cultures with which the Phoenicians intermixed and married - Jews, Assyrians, Egyptians and Babylonians - all added something to the Phoenician religion. Of these peoples, only the Jews kept a distance,18 retaining their own traditions while probably adding something to the religious practice of the Phoenicians.

Addressing the question of connections between the pantheons of Phoenicia, the Near East and Greece one must look at mythology and written documentation in use at the time. Greek evidence is harder to assess as a written language was only reintroduced during the Orientalising period. The decipherment of Linear B19 does give some clues as to the persona of earlier Greek gods, some of whom are identified in the works of Homer thus showing at least some continuity between Mycenaean and Archaic Greek religion. Cyprus, Crete, the islands, Anatolia and Greece were all accessible, and ideas and religious practices could well have flowed freely between these areas. Early myths may have been introduced, with the gods of one religion becoming the demons and legendary monsters of the other, particularly given the breakdown in contact between the various cultures at the end of the Bronze Age.

The cities of Phoenicia had their own local pantheons as can be seen from decipherment of the Ugaritic text. The gods mentioned, El, Dagon and Anat, seem to disappear in the first millennium, to be replaced by Melqart, Eshmun20 and Reshef, gods with whom the Greeks made identifications. The gods were now paired,21 though in areas where there was contact with Greeks, some shrines still show a triad of deities. The pairing of gods can be seen at Byblos with Baal Shamen and Baalat Gebal, �lady of the beasts," and at Sidon with the pairing of Astarte and Eshmun. Another god, Melqart the son of Astarte-Asteria, is also worshipped at Byblos as well as at his temple in Tyre.

The Phoenicians were Semitic peoples who came from the Levant. Their main cities were Sidon, Tyre and Byblos2 In the first millennium, they lived along a 200 km3 stretch of coastline, backing onto the mountains of Lebanon. In the 8th and 7th centuries land constrictions imposed on their homeland by others forced them to venture overseas,4 a necessity which they turned to their advantage, becoming formidable traders dealing in dyes, wood, glass, metalwork and ivory. Their culture was heavily influenced by that of their neighbours, specifically the Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians. The last of these great empires to fall, Assyria, was their eventual Levantine downfall, with the monarchy of the great naval empire of Tyre5 being the last Phoenicians to flee to the islands. The new Phoenician settlements were often little more than ports or enclaves and are found firstly on the Aegean islands6 and then around the southern shores of the Mediterranean, while some of the last were situated on Sicily7 and in Spain.

There was interaction between the Near East and many of the main islands in the second millennium, the Minoans and Mycenaeans both being strong naval powers. There was a subsequent loss of contact between the Aegean, Cyprus and the Syro-Palestine area because of the collapses caused by the Sea Peoples.8 However, archaeological finds, such as those found on some of the islands, indicate that communication was re-established quite quickly. Some of the first Greek sailors of whom we have knowledge are the Euboeans. This is confirmed by finds of Oriental wares in Euboeans graves of the 10th and 9th centuries, and in grave finds of their immediate neighbours.9 In the early first millennium, Phoenician merchants still dominated the markets in areas where otherwise their influence had declined, but they were forced into a mixture of co-operation and competition as local dynasts began to encourage others to their ports. The two main Near Eastern centres that the Greeks visited were Tell Sukas and Al Mina.10 This latter has a confirmed Greek presence from the second half of the 8th century, and here was a likely place for an early cross-fertilisation of ideas.11 In the 8th century there is also evidence of Phoenicians and Greeks intermixing in the West at the Euboean colony of Pithecusae. Crete was another main area of interaction as North Syrian craftsmen were resident here.12 Itanos was traditionally settled by Phoenicians13 and here is found the shrine of Kommos.14 The mixed population of Crete was known in the Greek world for its legal arbitrators both in the contemporary period and in myth. (Cretan Minos was a mythical son of Zeus and Europa,15 and also one of the judges of the dead.) The Cretans even had an office of rememberancer known as the poinkastos who, in exchange for privileges, was responsible for remembering all the city's laws, both sacral and secular.

To discover who influenced the Phoenicians, we must go back to the second millennium. The Aegean Mycenaeans had a minor influence,16 but the main influences came from the Hittites and Egyptians, both of whom were dominant in the Levant. It was mainly features from the surviving Egyptian empire that crept into Phoenician religion, with some identifications being made between Egyptian and Phoenician gods.17 Egyptian influences can be seen at Beth Shou, Lachish, in Crete at Kition where a Bes plaque was discovered in one of the temples, and also at Kommos, where statuettes were found of Sekhmet and Nefertum. The Egyptian influence eventually gave way to that of Assyria, a rising power in the region from the 8th century. Other Semitic cultures with which the Phoenicians intermixed and married - Jews, Assyrians, Egyptians and Babylonians - all added something to the Phoenician religion. Of these peoples, only the Jews kept a distance,18 retaining their own traditions while probably adding something to the religious practice of the Phoenicians.

Addressing the question of connections between the pantheons of Phoenicia, the Near East and Greece one must look at mythology and written documentation in use at the time. Greek evidence is harder to assess as a written language was only reintroduced during the Orientalising period. The decipherment of Linear B19 does give some clues as to the persona of earlier Greek gods, some of whom are identified in the works of Homer thus showing at least some continuity between Mycenaean and Archaic Greek religion. Cyprus, Crete, the islands, Anatolia and Greece were all accessible, and ideas and religious practices could well have flowed freely between these areas. Early myths may have been introduced, with the gods of one religion becoming the demons and legendary monsters of the other, particularly given the breakdown in contact between the various cultures at the end of the Bronze Age.

The cities of Phoenicia had their own local pantheons as can be seen from decipherment of the Ugaritic text. The gods mentioned, El, Dagon and Anat, seem to disappear in the first millennium, to be replaced by Melqart, Eshmun20 and Reshef, gods with whom the Greeks made identifications. The gods were now paired,21 though in areas where there was contact with Greeks, some shrines still show a triad of deities. The pairing of gods can be seen at Byblos with Baal Shamen and Baalat Gebal, �lady of the beasts," and at Sidon with the pairing of Astarte and Eshmun. Another god, Melqart the son of Astarte-Asteria, is also worshipped at Byblos as well as at his temple in Tyre.

The modern western alphabet is largely derived entirely from hieroglyphs, but with a very long and complex development over time. It is often extremely difficult to trace the connection.

Two reasonably clear links are the letters N and M. In hieroglyphs the sound n could be expressed with a short, horizontal zig-zag line indicating water - this evolved into the modern N which is simply a part of that zig-zag. The sound m in hieroglyphs could be expressed by the picture of an owl with its head turned towards the viewer - the top of the owl's head is shaped like the modern letter M because it is an owl with "ears", showing its ancient origin.

In general terms, hieroglyphs are a far more complex and sophisticated writing system than any modern alphabet.

By Max Sewell

Bonaparte returned to Paris in December 1797 following his successful first Italian campaign and the Peace of Campo Formio as a public hero. He received many distinctions, one of which was his election to the National Institute, an exclusive body of scientists and men of letters. In this unstable period, the Directory employed Bonaparte in a plan to make a direct invasion of England. After a review of these plans, he suggested that an effort be made against her possessions in India might be more successful than a channel crossing. Plans were drawn up to capture Malta and then Egypt in the hopes that the latter occupation would give France control of the lucrative trade routes to the east. The Directory also instructed Bonaparte to build a canal through the Isthmus of Suez and improve the situation of the local population. As Egypt was a nominal Turkish possession, foreign minister Talleyrand was to be sent to Constantinople to explain French plans, but in the end he never met with the Sultan.

Swiss gold helped finance the enterprise. Twenty-one demi-brigades marched toward the ports of Toulon, Marseilles, Genoa, Ajaccio, and Civita Vecchia. Admiral Brueys would command the fleet of 300 ships, and Bonaparte would lead the expedition. In keeping with France's hopes to advance the ideals of the revolution, bring prosperity to Egypt (for their own gain as well as the population's), and unlock the secrets of that ancient land, a large number of civilians would also take part, including many men of letters and science, carefully selected by Bonaparte, General Cafarelli, and the scientist Berthollet. They set sail on 19 April 1798. The convoy eluded the Royal Navy, took possession of Malta, continued on and made a landing at Marabout (just west of Alexandria) on 1 July.

The French occupied Alexandria on 2 July. Murad Bey, the Mameluke leader and governor of Egypt, fought and lost to the French at the Battle of the Pyramids on 21 July, and Bonaparte entered the capital of Egypt on 24 July 1798. The Institute of Egypt was established on August 22, organizing the scholars, and was divided into four sections: Mathematics, Physics, Political Economy, and Literature and Arts, headed by Gaspard Monge. There were many improvements made. Hospitals were established in Alexandria, Cairo, Damietta and Rosetta. Disease was studied, and sanitary regulations and quarantines reduced epidemics. Streetlights were installed on the main thoroughfares of Cairo. Citizens were disarmed. Taxation was reorganized.

Two printing plants had been brought from France and the first book was printed in Egypt: Exercises In Literary Arabic Extracted From The Koran, For The Use Of Those Who Are Studying That Language. A private printer established a weekly newspaper: Le Courrier de l'Egypte, and the literary and scientific journal of the Institute: La Décade Égyptienne came into being. Studies were made of zoology, botany and agriculture. The results of these labors were eventually collected in a twenty-four volume work: Description de l'Egypte published between 1809 and 1828.

Rosetta Stone

Two particular areas of study resulted in significant and long-lasting discoveries or achievements. The savants traveled with the army and the geography was charted and a map of Egypt was drawn (completed in 1806) that remained classified until the end of Napoleon's reign. The great monuments were examined and the science of Egyptology was founded. One of the most important discoveries in that field was the Rosetta Stone. The Stone is a block of basalt with engravings made on its polished surface. It was named after the village where it was found, Rashid (known as Rosetta to Europeans) located a few miles from the sea in the western delta of the Nile. It measures 3'9" (114 cm) in height, 2'4-1/2" (72cm) in width and 11" (28cm) in thickness. It weighs just under a ton (762kg). It is somewhat damaged, missing a large part of the upper left-hand corner, and a smaller part of its lower right corner. The chiseled inscriptions are in two languages, Greek and Egyptian, but three scripts. The first of the Egyptian scripts is Hieroglyphs, used 3,000 years ago at the time of the First Dynasty. The second was later determined to be Demotic, a cursive language that evolved from Hieroglyphs and dating from 643 B.C.

The Stone was discovered in mid-July 1799, but the circumstances are unclear. Some say it was found just lying on the ground. Others claim that it was part of an old wall which was ordered demolished by French soldiers in order to extend Fort Julien. This claim is supported by the Institute's Egyptian map which indicates the fort being on the west bank of the Nile in the area of Rosetta. The Stone was discovered by Captain (or Lieutenant, sources differ) of Engineers, Pierre François Xavier Bouchard, who headed the demolition team. Scholars immediately recognized that this stone contained the key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian language. This was because it appeared that the Stone's message was repeated in the three scripts, and because Greek could be read, over time it might be used to decipher the other two. General Jacques-François Menou, military governor of Rosetta, quickly arranged to have the Greek characters translated in order to determine the nature of the text.

The discovery of the Stone was not made public until September 1799, in an article printed in the Courrier de l'Egypte. It was shipped to Cairo in mid-August, and became an object of study at the Institute. Jean-Joseph Marcel and Remi Raige were able to identify the unknown cursive script, Demotic, but they were unable to read it. Copies of the scripts were made by the lithographers Marcel and A. Galland, who covered the Stone's surface with printer's ink and lay sheets of paper over it and used rollers to obtain an impression. Several sheets were sent to scholars throughout Europe, and two copies were presented to citizen Du Theil of the Institute Nationale de Paris by General Charles-François-Joseph Dugua (former Commandant of Cairo) on his return from Egypt. A French translation of the text was made by Du Theil, revealing that the Stone "was a monument to the gratitude of some priests of Alexandria, or some neighboring place, towards Ptolemy Epiphanes." A Latin translation was made in 1801, and English in 1802.

In 1802, a French Orientalist, A.I. Sylvestre de Sacy began to decipher the Demotic text. Equivalents for proper names found in the Greek section were identified in Demotic. Working at the same time, the Swedish diplomat, J.D. Åkerblad recognized the words: 'temples,' and 'Greeks.' Later in 1814 the Englishman Thomas Young discovered that Demonic words were not always alphabetically written, and closely compared the Hieroglyphic and Demonic scripts. He made many advances, identifying eighty-six signs. He studied the repetition of Greek words and looked for the same number of repeated signs in the Demonic script. In this way he identified the words 'and' as well as 'king,' 'Ptolemy,' and 'Egypt.' He was hampered by the missing parts of the Stone and the fact that the Greek and Demonic sections were not literal translations of one another. He later identified the word 'Ptolemy' in Hieroglyphics and in 1816, he determined that some hieroglyphs were not only word symbols, but at least in some cases were phonetic values. The French scholar Jean François Champollion, working at the same time, reached similar conclusions. Each worked with the Stone scripts and with other script discoveries, such as an Hieroglyphic inscription found at Karnak and a bilingual inscription on an obelisk discovered at Philae in 1815 to advance understanding of the ancient Egyptian language. In September 1822 Champollion presented his: Lettre À M. Dacier Relative À l'Alphabet Des Hieroglyphes Phonéntiques, which deciphered the hieroglyph forms for many of the Roman Emperors of Egypt. Young was unable to make further progress, but Champollion continued making great strides. He classified many hieroglyphs, formulating a system of grammar and general decipherment. He was greatly aided by his use of Coptic, a language of the Christian descendants of the Egyptians. He is now looked upon as the "Father of the Decipherment of Hieroglyphs."

Following the Royal Navy's defeat of the French Fleet at Aboukir Bay on 1 August 1798 (the Battle Of The Nile), the expedition found itself cut off from France and under blockade. Relations between Paris and Constantinople deteriorated, and news of Nelson's victory may have had a direct affect on the formation of the Second Coalition. Turkey, Naples, Russia and Austria joined Great Britain and Portugal between September 1798 and 1799, all in opposition to France. These events did not immediately affect the expedition, but in the long term, doomed it to failure. French military setbacks in Germany and Italy later provided Bonaparte with a political opportunity to return to Paris and overturn the Directory. When the blockading fleet left Egyptian waters, he sailed for France on August 22 with a select group which included his secretary Bourienne, his stepson Eugène Beauharnais, the generals Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Bessieres, and Marmont as well as the savants Monge, Berthollet and Denon.

The capable General Jean-Baptiste Kléber was left in command of the remaining French forces in Egypt with orders to hold out until a peace was concluded. When he was assassinated on 14 June 1800, Kléber was succeeded by General Jacques-François (Abdallah) Menou, who declared Egypt to be a French territory. Turkish and British forces landed and maneuvered against the French in October 1800. Menou was defeated by Sir Ralph Abercromby in the night battle of Aboukir on 21 March 1801. He retreated and was besieged in Alexandria. When Cairo was threatened, the savants left the capital for the safety of Alexandria, taking their documents, specimens and collected antiquities, among them the Rosetta Stone. Cairo surrendered on 27 June, and the French forces there marched by agreement to Rosetta where they embarked for France. Alexandria held out until the end of August, but capitulated under similar terms as Cairo. The remaining French forces marched to Aboukir and embarked for France on 14 September 1801 ending French ambitions in the Orient.

General John Hely Hutchinson succeeded Abercromby after the latter's death. He claimed the savant's collections and several antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone under Article XVI of the treaty of capitulation. The scholars, led by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire refused to surrender their work, and insisted on accompanying their collections to England rather than surrender them. Menou begrudgingly agreed to this, but himself refused to surrender the Stone, claiming it to be his private property. Hutchinson allowed the savants to keep their collections but insisted on the Rosetta Stone, which Menou was forced to relinquish. 'You want it, Monsieur le Général?' he wrote. "You can have it, since you are the stronger of us two...You may pick it up whenever you please." A Colonel Turner came to claim the Stone, which had been stored in a warehouse in Alexandria beside Menou's personal baggage, protected by a double matting and cloth cover.

Apparently it was turned over by a French officer in the streets of Alexandria, accompanied by a member of the Institute and witnessed by three British antiquarians including Edward Clarke who recorded the incident. The French officer threatened that the Stone should be removed from the city before the French troops discovered what had happened, and it was taken away under a British military escort.

The Rosetta Stone was shipped to England on HMS l'Égyptienne (a 44-gun vessel captured from the French in Alexandria harbor on 2 Sept 1801), and arrived in Portsmouth on February 1802. It was delivered to The Society of Antiquaries in London where the inscriptions were studied by Oriental and Greek scholars. Four plaster casts were made for the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Trinity College, Dublin. Copies of the Greek text were sent to Universities, Libraries, Academies and Societies throughout Europe. Near the end of 1802, the Stone was transferred to the British Museum in London, where it is still on display for the general public.

5-letter words

ament

6-letter words

cement, dement, foment, lament, loment, moment

7-letter words

ailment, aliment, augment, clement, comment, element, ferment, figment, fitment, garment, hutment, oddment, payment, pigment, raiment, sarment, segment, torment, varment

8-letter words

abetment, abutment, argument, armament, averment, bailment, basement, bodement, casement, cerement, diriment, document, easement, filament, fragment, judgment, ligament, liniment, lodgment, monument, movement, muniment, ointment, ornament, orpiment, parament, pavement, pediment, regiment, rudiment, sediment, shipment, tegument, tenement, vehement, vestment, weldment

9-letter words

abasement, abashment, abatement, adornment, affixment, agreement, alignment, alinement, allotment, amassment, amazement, amendment, amusement, annulment, apartment, atonement, battement, besetment, blastment, catchment, condiment, debarment, decrement, deferment, determent, detriment, devilment, ejectment, elopement, embayment, embedment, emolument, enactment, endowment, enjoyment, equipment, excrement, extolment, feoffment, firmament, fleshment, fundament, hardiment, hatchment, implement, inclement, increment, interment, inurement, judgement, lineament, lodgement, merriment, nutriment, parchment, placement, ravelment, remitment, repayment, revetment, rousement, sacrament, sentiment, statement, strewment, testament, treatment, worriment

10-letter words

abridgment, accruement, adjustment, advisement, alightment, allurement, ambushment, amercement, anointment, arrestment, assessment, assignment, assoilment, assortment, attachment, attainment, attornment, attunement, avouchment, babblement, bafflement, banishment, battlement, bemusement, betterment, cajolement, cantonment, commitment, complement, compliment, conferment, couplement, debasement, debatement, decampment, defacement, defilement, definement, denotement, denouement, denudement, department, deployment, deportment, derailment, designment, detachment, detainment, devotement, disbarment, disownment, divestment, effacement, embalmment, embankment, embarkment, embodiment, embossment, employment, encampment, encasement, encashment, encystment, endearment, engagement, engulfment, enjambment, enlacement, enlistment, enmeshment, enrichment, enrollment, enserfment, entailment, enticement, entombment, entrapment, escapement, escarpment, evolvement, excitement, experiment, famishment, government, habiliment, harassment, immurement, impairment, impalement, impartment, impediment, incitement, indictment, inducement, instalment, instrument, integument, intendment, internment, investment, management, medicament, nonpayment, obtainment, ordainment, parliament, preachment, preferment, prepayment, punishment, puzzlement, rabblement, ravagement, ravishment, reargument, rearmament, recoupment, refinement, resentment, retirement, revealment, revilement, securement, seducement, settlement, signalment, solacement, subsegment, supplement, tanglement, tournament, unfoldment, wilderment, wonderment

11-letter words

abandonment, abolishment, abridgement, achievement, acquirement, adjournment, advancement, appeasement, appointment, arbitrament, arraignment, arrangement, assuagement, bedevilment, bedizenment, beguilement, bereavement, bewitchment, bombardment, commandment, compartment, comportment, concealment, concernment, confinement, congealment, consignment, containment, contentment, controlment, curettement, curtailment, debouchment, debridement, deforcement, depravement, derangement, despisement, despoilment, detrainment, development, disablement, disarmament, disbandment, discernment, dislodgment, disportment, dissepiment, divorcement, edutainment, embracement, embroilment, emplacement, empowerment, enchainment, enchantment, endorsement, enfeoffment, enforcement, enframement, engorgement, engraftment, engrossment, enhancement, enjambement, enlargement, ennoblement, enslavement, entitlement, entrainment, entreatment, entrustment, envelopment, environment, fulfillment, garnishment, impeachment, imperilment, impingement, impoundment, impressment, improvement, indorsement, installment, instillment, involvement, measurement, misjudgment, myofilament, nonargument, nourishment, overgarment, overpayment, predicament, prejudgment, presentment, procurement, realignment, recruitment, reenactment, reequipment, refrainment, refreshment, replacement, requirement, rescindment, restatement, startlement, subbasement, temperament, traducement

12-letter words

accouchement, accouterment, accoutrement, admonishment, aggrievement, announcement, appraisement, astonishment, bedazzlement, befuddlement, belittlement, bewilderment, blandishment, chastisement, comanagement, commencement, decipherment, demolishment, denouncement, dethronement, diminishment, disagreement, disbursement, disendowment, disguisement, disinterment, dislodgement, displacement, disseverment, embattlement, embezzlement, embitterment, emblazonment, empoisonment, empressement, encipherment, encirclement, encroachment, endangerment, enfeeblement, enshrinement, entanglement, enthrallment, enthronement, entrancement, entrenchment, estrangement, hereditament, imprisonment, infotainment, infringement, intersegment, inveiglement, languishment, maltreatment, microelement, misalignment, misplacement, misstatement, mistreatment, monofilament, multielement, nonalignment, nontreatment, outplacement, overdocument, overornament, postponement, presentiment, pretreatment, radioelement, readjustment, reassessment, reassignment, reattachment, recommitment, redeployment, reemployment, reengagement, reenlistment, reindictment, reinvestment, renouncement, resettlement, ressentiment, retrenchment, stablishment, undergarment, underlayment, underpayment, unemployment, unsettlement

13-letter words

accompaniment, admeasurement, advertisement, advertizement, apportionment, ascertainment, bamboozlement, beleaguerment, disburdenment, disengagement, disfigurement, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disparagement, embarrassment, embellishment, embranglement, embrittlement, encompassment, encouragement, enlightenment, ensorcellment, entertainment, establishment, forestallment, interlacement, maladjustment, microfilament, misemployment, misgovernment, mismanagement, multifilament, nonattachment, noncommitment, nonemployment, nonengagement, nongovernment, nonmanagement, overstatement, overtreatment, posttreatment, precommitment, preemployment, preenrollment, preexperiment, prefigurement, preordainment, preretirement, presettlement, pretournament, pronouncement, rapprochement, reappointment, rearrangement, reconcilement, redevelopment, refurbishment, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, remeasurement, replenishment, subdepartment, subemployment, subgovernment, thermoelement, transshipment, vouchsafement

14-letter words

accomplishment, acknowledgment, aggrandizement, antigovernment, antimanagement, arrondissement, bouleversement, disappointment, disarrangement, disconcertment, discontentment, discouragement, disembowelment, disenchantment, disfurnishment, disgruntlement, disheartenment, divertissement, extinguishment, impoverishment, intertwinement, nonachievement, nondevelopment, nonenforcement, nonfulfillment, noninstallment, noninvolvement, overadjustment, overassessment, overcommitment, overinvestment, overrefinement, postretirement, prearrangement, predevelopment, recommencement, relinquishment, semiretirement, subdevelopment, understatement

15-letter words

acknowledgement, antidevelopment, counterargument, countermovement, disentanglement, disillusionment, eclaircissement, enfranchisement, hyperexcitement, micromanagement, overachievement, overdevelopment, reapportionment, reestablishment, supergovernment, underemployment, underinvestment

16-letter words

antiunemployment, counterstatement, disestablishment, disfranchisement, embourgeoisement, hyperdevelopment, malapportionment, microenvironment, nonentertainment, nonestablishment, nonreappointment, underachievement, underdevelopment, undernourishment

17-letter words

antiestablishment, counterdeployment, countergovernment

18-letter words

disenfranchisement, gedankenexperiment

613 words found.

4-letter words

deck, deco

5-letter words

decaf, decal, decay, decks, decor, decos, decoy, decry

6-letter words

decade, decafs, decals, decamp, decane, decant, decare, decays, deceit, decent, decern, decide, decile, decked, deckel, decker, deckle, decoct, decode, decors, decoys, decree, decury

7-letter words

decadal, decades, decagon, decalog, decamps, decanal, decanes, decants, decapod, decares, decayed, decayer, decease, deceits, deceive, decency, decerns, deciare, decibel, decided, decider, decides, decidua, deciles, decimal, deckels, deckers, decking, deckles, declaim, declare, declass, decline, decocts, decoded, decoder, decodes, decolor, decorum, decoyed, decoyer, decreed, decreer, decrees, decrial, decried, decrier, decries, decrown, decrypt, decuman, decuple, decurve

8-letter words

decadent, decagons, decagram, decalogs, decamped, decanted, decanter, decapods, decayers, decaying, deceased, deceases, decedent, deceived, deceiver, deceives, decemvir, decenary, decennia, decenter, decently, decentre, decerned, deciares, decibels, deciders, deciding, deciduae, decidual, deciduas, decigram, decimals, decimate, decipher, decision, decisive, deckhand, deckings, declaims, declared, declarer, declares, declasse, declined, decliner, declines, decocted, decoders, decoding, decolors, decolour, decorate, decorous, decorums, decouple, decoyers, decoying, decrease, decreers, decrepit, decretal, decrials, decriers, decrowns, decrying, decrypts, decupled, decuples, decuries, decurion, decurved, decurves

9-letter words

decadence, decadency, decadents, decagrams, decahedra, decalcify, decaliter, decalogue, decameter, decamping, decanters, decanting, decapodan, decathlon, deceasing, decedents, deceitful, deceivers, deceiving, decemviri, decemvirs, decencies, decennial, decennium, decenters, decentest, decentred, decentres, deception, deceptive, decerning, decertify, decidable, decidedly, deciduate, deciduous, decigrams, deciliter, decillion, decimally, decimated, decimates, decimeter, deciphers, decisions, deckhands, deckhouse, declaimed, declaimer, declarant, declarers, declaring, declassed, declasses, declawing, decliners, declining, declivity, decocting, decoction, decollate, decollete, decolored, decolours, decompose, decongest, decontrol, decorated, decorates, decorator, decoupage, decoupled, decouples, decreased, decreases, decreeing, decrement, decretals, decretive, decretory, decrowned, decrypted, decumbent, decupling, decurions, decurrent, decurving, decussate

10-letter words

decadences, decadently, decahedron, decaliters, decalogues, decameters, decametric, decampment, decapitate, decapodans, decapodous, decathlete, decathlons, deceivable, decelerate, decemviral, decenaries, decennials, decenniums, decentered, decentring, deceptions, deciliters, decillions, decimalize, decimating, decimation, decimeters, deciphered, decipherer, decisional, decisioned, decisively, deckhouses, declaimers, declaiming, declarable, declarants, declassify, declassing, declension, declinable, decoctions, decollated, decollates, decolletes, decolonize, decoloring, decolorize, decoloured, decomposed, decomposer, decomposes, decompound, decompress, decongests, decontrols, decorating, decoration, decorative, decorators, decorously, decoupaged, decoupages, decoupling, decreasing, decrements, decrepitly, decrescent, decrowning, decrypting, decryption, decussated, decussates

11-letter words

decadencies, decahedrons, decalcified, decalcifies, decampments, decantation, decapitated, decapitates, decapitator, decarbonate, decarbonize, decarburize, decathletes, deceitfully, deceivingly, decelerated, decelerates, decelerator, decemvirate, decennially, decentering, deceptional, deceptively, decerebrate, decertified, decertifies, decidedness, decimalized, decimalizes, decimations, decipherers, deciphering, decisioning, declamation, declamatory, declaration, declarative, declaratory, declensions, declination, declivities, declivitous, decollating, decollation, decolletage, decolonized, decolonizes, decolorized, decolorizer, decolorizes, decolouring, decomposers, decomposing, decondition, decongested, deconstruct, decorations, decorticate, decoupaging, decremental, decrepitate, decrepitude, decrescendo, decryptions, decussating, decussation

12-letter words

decalcifying, decalcomania, decantations, decapitating, decapitation, decapitators, decarbonated, decarbonates, decarbonized, decarbonizer, decarbonizes, decarburized, decarburizes, decasyllabic, decasyllable, decelerating, deceleration, decelerators, decemvirates, decentralize, decerebrated, decerebrates, decertifying, dechlorinate, decidability, decimalizing, decipherable, decipherment, decisiveness, declamations, declarations, declassified, declassifies, declensional, declinations, decollations, decolletages, decolonizing, decolorizers, decolorizing, decommission, decompensate, decomposable, decompressed, decompresses, deconditions, decongestant, decongesting, decongestion, decongestive, deconsecrate, deconstructs, decontrolled, decoratively, decorousness, decorticated, decorticates, decorticator, decreasingly, decrepitated, decrepitates, decrepitudes, decrescendos, decussations

13-letter words

decaffeinated, decalcomanias, decamethonium, decapitations, decarbonating, decarbonation, decarbonizers, decarbonizing, decarboxylase, decarboxylate, decarburizing, decasyllabics, decasyllables, deceitfulness, decelerations, decentralized, decentralizes, deceptiveness, decerebrating, decerebration, dechlorinated, dechlorinates, decidednesses, deciduousness, decipherments, declaratively, declassifying, declinational, decommissions, decompensated, decompensates, decomposition, decompressing, decompression, deconcentrate, deconditioned, decongestants, decongestions, deconsecrated, deconsecrates, deconstructed, deconstructor, decontaminate, decontrolling, decorticating, decortication, decorticators, decrepitating, decrepitation, decriminalize

14-letter words

decamethoniums, decarbonations, decarboxylases, decarboxylated, decarboxylates, decentralizing, decerebrations, dechlorinating, dechlorination, decidabilities, decimalization, decisivenesses, decolonization, decolorization, decommissioned, decompensating, decompensation, decompositions, decompressions, deconcentrated, deconcentrates, deconditioning, deconsecrating, deconsecration, deconstructing, deconstruction, deconstructive, deconstructors, decontaminated, decontaminates, decontaminator, decorativeness, decorousnesses, decortications, decrepitations, decriminalized, decriminalizes

15-letter words

decalcification, decarboxylating, decarboxylation, decarburization, decasualization, deceitfulnesses, deceptivenesses, decertification, dechlorinations, deciduousnesses, decimalizations, decolonizations, decolorizations, decommissioning, decompensations, decomposability, deconcentrating, deconcentration, deconsecrations, deconstructions, decontaminating, decontamination, decontaminators, decriminalizing

16-letter words

decalcifications, decarboxylations, decarburizations, decasualizations, decentralization, decertifications, declassification, deconcentrations, decontaminations, decorativenesses

17-letter words

decentralizations, declassifications, decomposabilities, deconstructionist, decriminalization

18-letter words

deconstructionists, decriminalizations
December, decagon, decimate, decimal, decorate, decorum, decent...

5-letter words

ament

6-letter words

cement, dement, foment, lament, loment, moment

7-letter words

ailment, aliment, augment, clement, comment, element, ferment, figment, fitment, garment, hutment, oddment, payment, pigment, raiment, sarment, segment, torment, varment

8-letter words

abetment, abutment, argument, armament, averment, bailment, basement, bodement, casement, cerement, diriment, document, easement, filament, fragment, judgment, ligament, liniment, lodgment, monument, movement, muniment, ointment, ornament, orpiment, parament, pavement, pediment, regiment, rudiment, sediment, shipment, tegument, tenement, vehement, vestment, weldment

9-letter words

abasement, abashment, abatement, adornment, affixment, agreement, alignment, alinement, allotment, amassment, amazement, amendment, amusement, annulment, apartment, atonement, battement, besetment, blastment, catchment, condiment, debarment, decrement, deferment, determent, detriment, devilment, ejectment, elopement, embayment, embedment, emolument, enactment, endowment, enjoyment, equipment, excrement, extolment, feoffment, firmament, fleshment, fundament, hardiment, hatchment, implement, inclement, increment, interment, inurement, judgement, lineament, lodgement, merriment, nutriment, parchment, placement, ravelment, remitment, repayment, revetment, rousement, sacrament, sentiment, statement, strewment, testament, treatment, worriment

10-letter words

abridgment, accruement, adjustment, advisement, alightment, allurement, ambushment, amercement, anointment, arrestment, assessment, assignment, assoilment, assortment, attachment, attainment, attornment, attunement, avouchment, babblement, bafflement, banishment, battlement, bemusement, betterment, cajolement, cantonment, commitment, complement, compliment, conferment, couplement, debasement, debatement, decampment, defacement, defilement, definement, denotement, denouement, denudement, department, deployment, deportment, derailment, designment, detachment, detainment, devotement, disbarment, disownment, divestment, effacement, embalmment, embankment, embarkment, embodiment, embossment, employment, encampment, encasement, encashment, encystment, endearment, engagement, engulfment, enjambment, enlacement, enlistment, enmeshment, enrichment, enrollment, enserfment, entailment, enticement, entombment, entrapment, escapement, escarpment, evolvement, excitement, experiment, famishment, government, habiliment, harassment, immurement, impairment, impalement, impartment, impediment, incitement, indictment, inducement, instalment, instrument, integument, intendment, internment, investment, management, medicament, nonpayment, obtainment, ordainment, parliament, preachment, preferment, prepayment, punishment, puzzlement, rabblement, ravagement, ravishment, reargument, rearmament, recoupment, refinement, resentment, retirement, revealment, revilement, securement, seducement, settlement, signalment, solacement, subsegment, supplement, tanglement, tournament, unfoldment, wilderment, wonderment

11-letter words

abandonment, abolishment, abridgement, achievement, acquirement, adjournment, advancement, appeasement, appointment, arbitrament, arraignment, arrangement, assuagement, bedevilment, bedizenment, beguilement, bereavement, bewitchment, bombardment, commandment, compartment, comportment, concealment, concernment, confinement, congealment, consignment, containment, contentment, controlment, curettement, curtailment, debouchment, debridement, deforcement, depravement, derangement, despisement, despoilment, detrainment, development, disablement, disarmament, disbandment, discernment, dislodgment, disportment, dissepiment, divorcement, edutainment, embracement, embroilment, emplacement, empowerment, enchainment, enchantment, endorsement, enfeoffment, enforcement, enframement, engorgement, engraftment, engrossment, enhancement, enjambement, enlargement, ennoblement, enslavement, entitlement, entrainment, entreatment, entrustment, envelopment, environment, fulfillment, garnishment, impeachment, imperilment, impingement, impoundment, impressment, improvement, indorsement, installment, instillment, involvement, measurement, misjudgment, myofilament, nonargument, nourishment, overgarment, overpayment, predicament, prejudgment, presentment, procurement, realignment, recruitment, reenactment, reequipment, refrainment, refreshment, replacement, requirement, rescindment, restatement, startlement, subbasement, temperament, traducement

12-letter words

accouchement, accouterment, accoutrement, admonishment, aggrievement, announcement, appraisement, astonishment, bedazzlement, befuddlement, belittlement, bewilderment, blandishment, chastisement, comanagement, commencement, decipherment, demolishment, denouncement, dethronement, diminishment, disagreement, disbursement, disendowment, disguisement, disinterment, dislodgement, displacement, disseverment, embattlement, embezzlement, embitterment, emblazonment, empoisonment, empressement, encipherment, encirclement, encroachment, endangerment, enfeeblement, enshrinement, entanglement, enthrallment, enthronement, entrancement, entrenchment, estrangement, hereditament, imprisonment, infotainment, infringement, intersegment, inveiglement, languishment, maltreatment, microelement, misalignment, misplacement, misstatement, mistreatment, monofilament, multielement, nonalignment, nontreatment, outplacement, overdocument, overornament, postponement, presentiment, pretreatment, radioelement, readjustment, reassessment, reassignment, reattachment, recommitment, redeployment, reemployment, reengagement, reenlistment, reindictment, reinvestment, renouncement, resettlement, ressentiment, retrenchment, stablishment, undergarment, underlayment, underpayment, unemployment, unsettlement

13-letter words

accompaniment, admeasurement, advertisement, advertizement, apportionment, ascertainment, bamboozlement, beleaguerment, disburdenment, disengagement, disfigurement, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disparagement, embarrassment, embellishment, embranglement, embrittlement, encompassment, encouragement, enlightenment, ensorcellment, entertainment, establishment, forestallment, interlacement, maladjustment, microfilament, misemployment, misgovernment, mismanagement, multifilament, nonattachment, noncommitment, nonemployment, nonengagement, nongovernment, nonmanagement, overstatement, overtreatment, posttreatment, precommitment, preemployment, preenrollment, preexperiment, prefigurement, preordainment, preretirement, presettlement, pretournament, pronouncement, rapprochement, reappointment, rearrangement, reconcilement, redevelopment, refurbishment, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, remeasurement, replenishment, subdepartment, subemployment, subgovernment, thermoelement, transshipment, vouchsafement

14-letter words

accomplishment, acknowledgment, aggrandizement, antigovernment, antimanagement, arrondissement, bouleversement, disappointment, disarrangement, disconcertment, discontentment, discouragement, disembowelment, disenchantment, disfurnishment, disgruntlement, disheartenment, divertissement, extinguishment, impoverishment, intertwinement, nonachievement, nondevelopment, nonenforcement, nonfulfillment, noninstallment, noninvolvement, overadjustment, overassessment, overcommitment, overinvestment, overrefinement, postretirement, prearrangement, predevelopment, recommencement, relinquishment, semiretirement, subdevelopment, understatement

15-letter words

acknowledgement, antidevelopment, counterargument, countermovement, disentanglement, disillusionment, eclaircissement, enfranchisement, hyperexcitement, micromanagement, overachievement, overdevelopment, reapportionment, reestablishment, supergovernment, underemployment, underinvestment

16-letter words

antiunemployment, counterstatement, disestablishment, disfranchisement, embourgeoisement, hyperdevelopment, malapportionment, microenvironment, nonentertainment, nonestablishment, nonreappointment, underachievement, underdevelopment, undernourishment

17-letter words

antiestablishment, counterdeployment, countergovernment

18-letter words

disenfranchisement, gedankenexperiment

From me personally, the Mayans were civilized. But really, the word "civilized" is a perceptual word. Some people might view things as civilized while some may not. It all depends on the hearer. Here are some things about the mayans... you may decide for yourself if they are civilized or not! :)

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period (c. 2000 BC to 250 AD), according to the Mesoamerican chronology, many Maya cities reached their highest state of development during the Classic period (c. 250 to 900 AD), and continued throughout the Post-Classic period until the arrival of the Spanish.

The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations due to the high degree of interaction and cultural diffusion that characterized the region. Advances such as writing, epigraphy, and the calendar did not originate with the Maya; however, their civilization fully developed them. Maya influence can be detected from Honduras, Guatemala, Northern El Salvador and to as far as central Mexico, more than 1,000 km (620 mi) from the Maya area. Many outside influences are found in Maya art and architecture, which are thought to result from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct external conquest.

The Maya peoples never disappeared, neither at the time of the Classic period decline nor with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and the subsequent Spanish colonization of the Americas. Today, the Maya and their descendants form sizable populations throughout the Maya area and maintain a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs that are the result of the merger of pre-Columbian and post-Conquest ideas and cultures. Many Mayan languages continue to be spoken as primary languages today; the Rabinal Achí, a play written in the Achi language, was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005

They also had politics

A typical Classic Maya polity was a small hierarchical state (ajawil, ajawlel, or ajawlil) headed by a hereditary ruler known as an ajaw (later k'uhul ajaw).[19] Such kingdoms were usually no more than a capital city with its neighborhood and several lesser towns, although there were greater kingdoms, which controlled larger territories and extended patronage over smaller polities.[citation needed] Each kingdom had a name that did not necessarily correspond to any locality within its territory. Its identity was that of a political unit associated with a particular ruling dynasty. For instance, the archaeological site of Naranjo was the capital of the kingdom of Saal. The land (chan ch'e'n) of the kingdom and its capital were called Wakab'nal or Maxam and were part of a larger geographical entity known as Huk Tsuk. Interestingly, despite constant warfare and eventual shifts in regional power, most kingdoms never disappeared from the political landscape until the collapse of the whole system in the 9th century AD. In this respect, Classic Maya kingdoms are highly similar to late Post Classic polities encountered by the Spaniards in Yucatán and Central Mexico: some polities could be subordinated to hegemonic rulers through conquests or dynastic unions and yet even then they persisted as distinct entities.[citation needed]

Mayanists have been increasingly accepting a "court paradigm" of Classic Maya societies which puts the emphasis on the centrality of the royal household and especially the person of the king. This approach focuses on Maya monumental spaces as the embodiment of the diverse activities of the royal household. It considers the role of places and spaces (including dwellings of royalty and nobles, throne rooms, temples, halls and plazas for public ceremonies) in establishing power and social hierarchy, and also in projecting aesthetic and moral values to define the wider social realm.

Spanish sources invariably describe even the largest Maya settlements as dispersed collections of dwellings grouped around the temples and palaces of the ruling dynasty and lesser nobles. None of the Classic Maya cities shows evidence of economic specialization and commerce of the scale of Mexican Tenochtitlan. Instead, Maya cities could be seen as enormous royal households, the locales of the administrative and ritual activities of the royal court. They were the places where privileged nobles could approach the holy ruler, where aesthetic values of the high culture were formulated and disseminated and where aesthetic items were consumed. They were the self-proclaimed centers and the sources of social, moral, and cosmic order. The fall of a royal court as in the well-documented cases of Piedras Negras or Copan would cause the inevitable "death" of the associated settlement.

And art

Maya art of their Classic Era (c. 250 to 900 CE) is of a high level of aesthetic and artisanal sophistication. The carvings and the reliefs made of stucco at Palenque and the statuary of Copá, show a grace and accurate observation of the human form that reminded early archaeologists of Classical civilizations of the Old World[citation needed], hence the name bestowed on this era. We have only hints of the advanced painting of the classic Maya; mostly what has survived are funerary pottery and other Maya ceramics, and a building at Bonampak holds ancient murals that survived by chance. A beautiful turquoise blue color that has survived through the centuries due to its unique chemical characteristics is known as Maya Blue or Azul maya, and it is present in Bonampak, Tajín Cacaxtla, Jaina, and even in some Colonial Convents. The use of Maya Blue survived until the 16th century when the technique was lost. Late Preclassic murals of great artistic and iconographic perfection have been recently discovered at San Bartolo. With the decipherment of the Maya script it was discovered that the Maya were one of the few civilizations where artists attached their name to their work.

Not to mention their architecture....

Maya architecture spans many thousands of years; yet, often the most dramatic and easily recognizable as Maya are the stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. There are also cave sites that are important to the Maya. These cave sites include Jolja Cave, the cave site at Naj Tunich, the Candelaria Caves, and the Cave of the Witch. There are also cave-origin myths among the Maya. Some cave sites are still used by the modern Maya in the Chiapas highlands.

It has been suggested[who?] that temples and pyramids were remodeled and rebuilt every fifty-two years in synchrony with the Maya Long Count Calendar. It appears now that the rebuilding process was often instigated by a new ruler or for political matters, as opposed to matching the calendar cycle. However, the process of rebuilding on top of old structures is indeed a common one. Most notably, the North Acropolis at Tikal seems to be the sum total of 1,500 years of architectural modifications. In Tikal and Yaxha, there are the Twin Pyramid complexes (seven in Tikal and one in Yaxha, that commemorate the end of a Baktún). Through observation of the numerous consistent elements and stylistic distinctions, remnants of Maya architecture have become an important key to understanding the evolution of their ancient civilization

-Wikipedia

The mayans had theories on astronomy, mathmatics, a lot of views for religion, they wrote on paper and researched agriculture. I would say: Yes. They were civilized.