Despite what some “experts” may claim and what prophetic movies like Robert Emmerich’s 2012 would have you believe, new findings have come to light that cast doubt on the apparent end of the world as predicted in the Mayan calendar.

Sven Gronemeyer, a researcher from La Trobe University in Australia, last week made public for the first time his interpretations of the ancient Mayan hieroglyphs which have previously been interpreted to allude to the end of civilization in 2012.

The tablet, which was carved roughly 1300 years ago, has since cracked down the middle making the already difficult task of translating the ancient texts even more trying.

According to Gronemeyer’s interpretation, the tablets predict a significant event, just not the end of the world,

…the inscription described the return of the mysterious Mayan god Bolon Yokte at the end of a 13th period of 400 years, known as Baktuns, on the equivalent of 21 December 2012. Mayans considered 13 a sacred number. There is nothing apocalyptic in the date…

He (Gronemeyer) believes the date gained symbolic value as it is seen as “a reflection of the day of creation.” His findings show that the date will herald a new era, but not a destructive one.

These findings come only days after another Mayan tablet was found which also made reference to the end-of-world prophecy. However, experts doubt the authenticity of the claims as there is no future tense marking as there is on the original tablet.

Either way, it seems that 21 December 2012 will give the masses an excuse party. Whether it’s bidding farewell to world or ushering in a new era is merely a matter of interpretation.

[Source: The Guardian]