ARCHEOLOGY. 



Morley, Sylvanus G., Santa Fe, New Mexico. Research Associate in Amer- 

 ican Archeology. 



After several conferences in July 1914 with the President of the 

 Institution, Mr. Morley proceeded to Santa Fe to take up the prepara- 

 tion of a work containing descriptions and decipherments of all known 

 Maya texts, which will be so arranged as to be a ready and standard 

 book of reference on Maya chronology. 



The Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions, so far as they have been deci- 

 phered, deal exclusively with the counting of time either in relation to 

 the Maya calendar or certain astronomical phenomena with which the 

 Mayas were familiar. Especially important are the so-called Initial 

 Series, which fixed dates in the Maya chronological system in such a 

 way that they could not recur, filling all the given conditions, until after 

 a lapse of 374,400 years. During the past five years at least 50 new 

 Initial Series have been discovered which have never been published; 

 and when it is taken into consideration that only about 90 had been 

 previously described, it seems probable that the investigation of the 

 new material already in hand — as contemplated in this research — will 

 shed much light on the whole field of Maya chronology and clear up 

 many existing problems. 



Van Deman, Esther B., Rome, Italy. Research Associate in Roman Archeology. 

 (For previous reports see Year Books Nos. 9-12.) 



The summer months of 1913 were devoted largely to the regular 

 work on methods of Roman concrete construction. During August, 

 however, through the courtesy of the government engineers in charge 

 of the work, the rare privilege was obtained of studying the extensive 

 remains of the ancient monuments in the center of the Viminal hill, 

 which were brought to light by the removal of the modern gardens 

 formerly on that site. The examination was necessarily of a some- 

 what cursory character, but it was possible to classify and to determine 

 the period of a considerable number of monuments of the early empire 

 as well as of the later republic. Many valuable data concerning the 

 methods of constructing concrete buildings were collected by the exami- 

 nation of these monuments as they were laid bare and during their 

 demolition. A rough plan of the remains seen was drafted, which, 

 except that of the engineers, was the only one made of this important 

 section of the ancient city. This plan will be published later, after 

 the appearance of the official reports. 



In September a brief study was made of the remains of the ancient 

 city of Luna, as well as of the marble quarries of Carrara nearby, which 



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