Eduard Georg Seler (December 5, 1849 – November 23, 1922) was a prominent German anthropologist,

ethnohistorian Ethnohistory is the study of cultures and indigenous peoples customs by examining historical records as well as other sources of information on their lives and history. It is also the study of the history of various ethnic groups that may or may n ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

epigrapher Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

, academic and Americanist scholar, who made extensive contributions in these fields towards the study of

pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

cultures in

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Research

Seler is best known for his foundational studies concerning the ethnography, documents, and history of

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...

n cultures, for which he is regarded as one of the most influential scholars active around the turn of the 20th century. Seler laid many fundamentals in understanding and deciphering the Aztec pictorial script. A main contribution was the re-discovery and analysis of the basic Aztec calendar system: the existence of two Aztec calendars, a 365-day solar profane (everyday use) and a 260-day religious calendar. He also noted from the sources that the ceremonial killing victim figures alleged by Spanish priests and military (repeatedly reported as being greater than 10,000 or even 100,000) were most probably vastly exaggerated propaganda. This was supported by excavations in the late 20th century. Being poor and of ailing health, he was helped and supported for decades by his wife Cäcilie (Cecilia) Seler-Sachs (1855–1935), physically and intellectually. Her photos of Aztec temples and pyramids are still useful to scientists, and after her husband's death she went about verifying his works and publishing them. Seler was also helped by Mexican scholar and historian Antonio Peñafiel. Borgia 53 bottom left

Timeline

*1863-69 — Attendance at Joachimsthalsche Gymnasium, Berlin *1870-71 — Military service (during the Franco-Prussian War) *1871-75 — Studied at

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

*1875-79 — Teaching science and mathematics *1887 — Doctoral degree from

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

*1895-97 — Investigation of

Maya cave sites Mayan cave sites are associated with the Mayan civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Beliefs and observances connected with these cave sites persist among some contemporary Mayan communities. Many of the Mayan caves served religious purposes. ...

including

Quen Santo Jean de Quen (May in Amiens, France – 8 October 1659, in Quebec City) was a French Jesuit missionary, priest and historian. As head of Jesuit missions of New France, he founded the missions to Saguenay. In 1647, Jean de Quen was the first ...

*1904-22 — Directorship of American Division, Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin

Writings by Eduard Seler

*''Gesammelte Abhandlungen zur Amerikanischen Sprach- und Alterthumskunde''. 5 vols. Berlin : A. Asher, 1902-1923. *''Collected Works in Mesoamerican Linguistics and Archaeology''. Culver City (CA) : Labyrinthos, 1990-1998; translated (by Charles P. Bowditch & Frank E. Comparato) into English.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Werke Eduard Selers
at altamerikanistik.de
biography of Eduard Seler

Fundación Eduard Seler
non-profit association established 1992 in Mexico City, named after Seler and devoted to the archaeology, ethnohistory and indigenous concerns of the region studied by Seler Over a hundred images of Uxmal in Seler's 1917 "Ruinen von Uxmal". http://academic.reed.edu/uxmal/galleries/thumbnails/drawings/Drawings-Seler.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Seler, Eduard 1849 births 1922 deaths People from Krosno Odrzańskie Pre-Columbian scholars German Mesoamericanists German ethnologists German anthropologists Epigraphers People from the Province of Brandenburg Joachimsthalsches Gymnasium alumni