Perhaps you've heard of the ancient Maya, one of the most mysterious civilizations in history. Alas, in the Middle Ages their culture perished, and scientists could not decipher the ancient Mayan hieroglyphs, no matter how hard they tried.
No one could have thought that the key to the cipher would be found by a silent Russian introvert scientist, a caustic joker and an admirer of Conan Doyle!
For many years, Yuri Knorozov was not allowed to travel and could not even take a look at the legendary Mayan pyramids which are lost in the jungles of Central America. How did he manage to understand Mayan letter and who was this man? That's what the big "Redaktsiya" 's movie filmed in Russia and in Mexico is about
Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:10 Yuri Knorozov is a great Russian scientist who deciphered the writing of the ancient Maya
06:48 Who are the Maya?
09:25 Mayan football, in which the losing team was sacrificed
10:40 How advanced was the Maya civilization?
11:54 Did the Maya really predict the end of the world in 2012?
13:15 Why did the Maya civilization and their writing disappear?
15:33 How did Knorozov's childhood determine his great discovery?
23:30 How did Knorozov survive the war?
25:04 Why didn't scientists manage to decipher the Maya script before Knorozov?
29:40 How did a student from the USSR decide to decipher the writing of the ancient Maya?
31:44 How did Knorozov study the Maya without leaving the USSR?
34:22 Under what circumstances did Knorozov make his main discovery?
38:20 How exactly did Knorozov decrypt the Mayan letter?
51:23 How did the scientific world meet Knorozov's discovery?
53:30 What kind of a person was he?
57:53 How did Knorozov present his dissertation?
1:00:50 How did Knorozov live and what salary did he receive?
1:01:32 Why did the West not recognize Knorozov's discovery for a long time?
1:06:15 Why wasn't Knorozov allowed to leave the Soviet Union?
1:09:43 What other writings did Knorozov try do decipher?
1:13:42 How did the collapse of the USSR help make Knorozov's dream come true?
1:16:10 Why did Knorozov drink?
1:19:15 How did Knorozov manage to go to Mexico for the first time?
1:20:55 What cigarettes did Knorozov smoke?
1:22:15 Why did Knorozov say that in his heart he was a Mexican?
1:24:24 Why was the cat Knorozov's closest friend?
1:25:40 How was the first film about Yuri Knorozov shot in Mexico?
1:29:50 What was the most memorable thing about Knorozov?
1:33:10 How did Pivovarov first learn about Knorozov?
1:34:30 How widespread were human sacrifices among the Maya?
1:37:55 How do the Maya Indians live now?
1:40:25 How well is Knorozov known in Mexico and in Russia today?
1:41:58 How did the last years of Knorozov's life go?
1:44:40 Is Knorozov a genius?
1:46:28 Let's put up a monument to Knorozov in Russia!