The Dresden Codex is a Maya book originating from the 11th or 12th century in America. Rediscovered in Dresden, Germany, where it now resides in the museum of the State Library of Saxony, the codex is named after its place of rediscovery. Its pages, crafted from the crushed inner bark of a wild Ficus species, measure 20 cm (8 in.) in height and can be folded into an accordion shape. When fully opened, the codex extends to 3.7 meters (12 feet) in length. Written in Maya hieroglyphics, the Dresden Codex references an original text from approximately three to four hundred years earlier and contains descriptions of local history and astronomical tables.


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