Mayan Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mayan Project - Essay Example Hence, symbols could represent either a word or a single syllable. This was a highly elaborate set of glyphs written by scribes who were members of the priesthood. The language was usually written in two blocks arranged in columns, and was read from top to bottom, from left to right. It was rich with words and phonetic rules, and only elite members of the community knew how to write (Beatriz n.d). The Mayan numerals were based on a base-twenty (vigecimal) numeral system, which were made up of three symbols: zero was represented by a shell shape, one by a dot and give by a bar. Numbers above 19 were written as a combination of these written in a descending vertical line. Three cells were written, the uppermost one represented the number of 400s in the number, the middle one represented the number of 20s in it and the lower one represented the 1s in it. In case a number was larger than that, a new row would be started. The Mayans would also rarely use face number glyphs, but this use was very uncommon and mostly appeared in monumental carving. The Mayans used addition and subtraction when needed, and there is also evidence that they were familiar with and used the concepts of infinity and fractions for various needs ("The Maya Mathematical" n.d; "Mayan Numerals" 2009). A Mayan stela (also called stele) was a stone or wooden slab that was very tall and quite wide. It was used mainly for funeral or commemorative purposes, and consisted of the name and titles of the deceased or living person for whom it was erected. It also included of lavish paintings, carvings and inscriptions depicting and describing that person. More often then not, revered rulers or hieroglyphic texts were inscribed to immortalize a unique feat or achievement during a rulers reigning period or simply his character and greatness. It was also used to remember important dates and occasions, something which proved to be

Africa in the Global System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Africa in the Global System - Essay Example The legislature on the other hand is mandated to by the various constitutions governing the different states to dismiss the president by means of an impeachment. However such presidential dismissals are not commonplace as this is highly likely to contravene the canon of the presidency. A prominent feature of this governance is the cabinet heads who are referred to as ministers or secretaries depending on the country, serve at the mercy of the president and propagate the wishes of the president and the ruling party. The legislature has powers to approve their appointment once they have been selected by the president. In some cases, the cabinet heads are not members of the legislature in a presidential system. This system of governance appears to be popular in many African states and democracies. To understand the reason why this form of governance has become common in Africa and world over, this paper examines the main benefits and advantages of this form of governance. The presidential system of governance is commonly used in African states and elsewhere in the world and its application and acceptability in many nations could be due to factors that are closely linked to its advantages or ease of application. It should be noted that the most important aspect of a government that will make it acceptable to the people is the legitimacy of the same government. The presidential system has several advantages and ease of legitimacy due to the following factors that are discussed below. These factors make it one of the most popular systems of governance that is applicable in the world today. The discussion on legitimacy can be one of the reasons why presidential systems have been generally the most common form of governance in the African continent. In (Alagappa 1995), the debate of legitimacy of a government is advanced. It argues that in order for a government to achieve legitimacy, it must be based on shared norms and values of a