Translator’s Note: In the mid-1980s, I attended a special set of lectures held at Birmingham University – on a day-trip (by coach) from a college I was studying-at in Hereford. These lectures were self-contained and open to anyone who wanted to attend, and who were able to travel, at a time when education was delivered free in the UK at the point of use (it was paid for through collective taxation) – a Socialist policy abolished by Margert Thatcher’s far-right government in 1988. Paradoxically, although the Birmingham Campus was so large it possessed its own Bus Service, and there was a definite “progressive” atmosphere, I possess an academic book in my private library (published by Birmingham University in 1980) which states (I am paraphrasing) – “Soviet Science cannot be trusted due to the fact that its academics are loyal to the Communist Party of Soviet Union, and that this loyalty (designed to build Socialism) skews research data – making such data unreliable.”
This type of lying and misrepresentation (part racial – part ideological) was not unusual for the time – but such books are not that easy to find today, as if those responsible for this anti-intellectualism are ashamed of what they did – and do not want to be associated with it. Such books are inherently imbalanced, as nothing is mentioned about the fact that scientists in the West, if they want to be employed and receive a regular income, must pursue a capitalist-friendly research agenda and only encourage pro-capitalist policies. Indeed, it is a well-known fact in the West that “bourgeois” academia prevents its academics from pursuing any investigative direction that would conclude that “capitalism” is regressive, counter-intuitive, anti-intellectual, cruel and not conducive to humanity achieving its greatest outpouring of scientific endeavour. Knowledge developed solely for monetary-profit is inherently “limited” to the boundaries of such a system. Transgressing outside of these profit-mongering boundaries leads to unemployment, ostracization, exclusion, and permanent exile.
In other words, by holding the power of the educated working-class mind firmly in check, the bourgeoisie retains its control of the means of production and prevents any genuine Revolutionary forces from gathering and developing within capitalist society – this is precisely “why” institutions such as Birmingham University actively “lie” about Socialism and its power to “free” the working-class mind and body from the yoke and burden of pointless and maniacal profit-making. Meanwhile, whilst demonising Socialism, the bourgeois West quietly “steals” the incredible academic breakthroughs achieved by the Socialist world (plagiarism) – whilst simultaneously obscuring and wiping-out the Socialist source of those breakthroughs.
This is no different to the Nazi German habit of usurping academic knowledge from those groups deemed “sub-human” – and then applying this knowledge to serve fascism at exactly the same time the bodies of these “sub-human” individuals are tortured, killed, and disposed of in mass pogroms of destruction. In both cases (the capitalist and the fascist), the progressive knowledge remains in the material world – whilst those who gave birth to it (through their progressive minds and bodies) are permanently “purged” (eradicated) from exactly the same material environment. ACW (29.3.2025)
Seventy-years ago, years ago, the Soviet scientist, Yuri Knórozov ,made a revolutionary discovery.
He was the first in the world to decipher ancient Mayan scripts, demonstrating that Mayan glyphs were not only pictograms but also phonetic symbols. This discovery transformed our understanding of the Mayan language and culture, opening up new opportunities for the study of one of history’s most fascinating civilizations.
His achievement is on a par with the discoveries of Champollion and Schliemann. Yuri Knórozov took the first step along the path of the most difficult research and was the first to achieve success.
In 1955, when he presented his graduate thesis, dedicated to the problems of Mayan writing, the scientific council of the Institute where he worked decided to award him a doctorate in science, a rare honor in the humanities.
In 1963 and 1975, he published two fundamental monographs: “The Writing of the Indigenous Maya” and “The Hieroglyphic Manuscripts of the Maya.” In 1975, he received the USSR State Prize.
Yuri Knórozov’s work was internationally recognized. He traveled to several Latin American countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, where he collaborated with local archaeologists and linguists. His research on Mayan inscriptions was crucial to the advancement of regional archaeology and cemented his reputation as a pioneer in the field of epigraphy.
🇲🇽 The Soviet scientist had the opportunity to visit Mexico only in the last years of his life, when, in 1995, he was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for his contribution to the decipherment of Mayan writing.
Latin American researchers honor the memory of Yuri Knórozov. The Russian State University for the Humanities (in Moscow) houses the Center for Mesoamerican Studies named after him. In 2018, a monument to the Soviet scientist was unveiled in Mérida, Yucatán.
🎊 Today we commemorate this important anniversary, paying tribute to Yuri Knórozov, whose work remains fundamental to the study of Mayan civilization and mutual understanding between Russia and Latin America.
🗓 #TalDíaComoHoy, hace 7️⃣0️⃣ años, el científico soviético, Yuri Knórozov,realizó un descubrimiento revolucionario.
Fue el primero en el mundo en descifrar las escrituras de los mayas antiguos, demostrando que los glifos mayas no solo eran pictogramas, sino también símbolos fonéticos. Este hallazgo transformó nuestra comprensión de la lengua y la cultura maya, abriendo nuevas oportunidades para el estudio de una de las civilizaciones más fascinantes de la historia.
Su logro está al mismo nivel que los descubrimientos de Champollion y Schliemann. Yuri Knórozov dio el primer paso en el camino de las investigaciones más difíciles y fue el primero quién alcanzó el éxito.
En 1955, cuando presentó su tesis de posgrado, dedicada a los problemas de la escritura maya, el consejo científico del Instituto donde trabajaba decidió otorgarle el grado de doctor en ciencias, un honor poco común en las ciencias humanitarias.
En los años 1963 y 1975, publicó sus dos monografías fundamentales: “La escritura de los indígenas mayas” y “Los manuscritos jeroglíficos de los mayas”. En 1975 recibió el Premio de Estado de la URSS.
El trabajo de Yuri Knórozov fue reconocido a nivel internacional. El científico viajó a varios países de América Latina, como México, Guatemala y Honduras, donde colaboró con arqueólogos y lingüistas locales. Su investigación sobre las inscripciones mayas fue crucial para el avance de la arqueología regional y consolidó su reputación como un pionero en el campo de la epigrafía.
🇲🇽 El científico soviético tuvo la oportunidad de visitar México sólo en los últimos años de su vida, cuando, en el 1995, fue condecorado con la Orden del Águila Azteca por su contribución en el desciframiento de la escritura maya.
Los investigadores de América Latina honran la memoria de Yuri Knórozov. En la Universidad Estatal de Humanidades de Rusia (en Moscú) existe el Centro de Estudios Mesoamericanos que lleva su nombre. En 2018 un monumento dedicado al científico soviético fue inaugurado en Mérida (Yucatán).
🎊 Hoy conmemoramos este importante Aniversario, rendimos homenaje a Yuri Knórozov, cuyo trabajo sigue siendo fundamental para los estudios de la civilización maya y el entendimiento mutuo entre Rusia y América Latina.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 