Ghost of a flea

Unraveling ancient writing systems is much more than a linguistic party trick, researchers say. "It's a window into the minds of the people who wrote it. That's something that archaeology alone can't give," said George Stuart's son, Harvard University linguist David Stuart, who has played a central role in decoding Mayan script.

Houston and Coe's case rests largely on a recently discovered jade mask whose back is carved with Isthmian writing. (The civilization is named for its location, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.) The mask, in a private collection, was unknown to researchers until Coe heard about it last year. Coe and Houston realized that they could use the writing on the mask to test the accuracy of their colleagues' decipherment. "When you apply the supposed key, it turns out to be total nonsense and gobbledygook," said Coe. In the Mexicon paper, they offer several examples, including passages they translate as: "Take he take cloth sun?" and "Your cloth he your take throne bludgeon."