Our Brave New Digital World
O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't
William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act V, Scene I, ll. 203–206
Rise and Fall of a Civilization
It is the spring equinox in the year 818 CE. At the appointed hour, the Mayan high priest at Chichen Itza slowly ascends one of the four staircases of the pyramid of Kukulkan, a giant temple named in honour of the feathered serpent deity. As the sun's shadow creates the illusion of the snake descending the pyramid, the priest gazes down upon the crowd of some 40 000 people. He begins a slow hand clap. The crowd responds, the clapping builds to a crescendo. The echo from the top of the pyramid reflects the call of the resplendent quetzal, the sacred bird, across the city. A human sacrifice is made. The crowd is in rapture. The gods are pleased. It will be a good year.
A civilization way ahead of its time, the Mayans thrived for more than 3000 years. They were brilliant architects, mathematicians, and astronomers. They invented the concept of zero. Their calendar was accurate to within one day every 6500 years. The Mayans had one of the most advanced writing systems of any ancient civilization. Their cities were centres for arts, science, and religion, that teemed with more than 2000 people per square mile (which is comparable to modern Los Angeles County). Their creation and adoption of highly sophisticated technology propelled them ...
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