stelae
(noun)
Carved stones depicting rulers with heirogliphic texts describing their accomplishments.
Examples of stelae in the following topics:
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Kingdom of Aksum
- The Stelae (hawilt/hawilti in local languages) are perhaps the most identifiable part of the Aksumite legacy.
- The Stelae have most of their mass out of the ground, but are stabilized by massive underground counter-weights.
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The Chavín Civilization
- Shown here is the most important stela statue of the central deity of the Chavín, called the Lanzón.
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The Classic Period of the Maya
- Other important archaeological remains include the carved stone slabs usually called stelae (the Maya called them tetun, or "tree-stones"), which depict rulers along with hieroglyphic texts describing their genealogy, military victories, and other accomplishments.