ARCHEOLOGY. 



273 



a date can not recur, fulfilling all the given conditions, until after the 

 lapse of 243,193 years. An example of this kind is given in figure 3, 

 which shows the inscription from the north sides of the rings in the Ball 

 Court at Uxmal. Although both of these texts are fragmentary, 

 enough remains of each to permit its decipherment, the dates of both 

 being the same.* 



Fig. 3. — Text engraved on sides of the rings of the Ball Court at Uxmal. The same date 

 is recorded upon each ring " 10 Ix 17 Pop in Tun 17 ending on the day 12 Ahau," 

 which corresponds to the year 1277 A. D. 



A final modification of this last method is seen on the lintel from the 

 north chamber of the western range of the Monjas Quadrangle at 

 Uxmal, where not only the particular tun in which the date fell is given, 

 but the particular katun as well. See figure 4, where 5 Imix 19 Kan- 

 kin is declared to have occurred in Tun 18 of Katun 13. By the addi- 

 tion of this last factor, accuracy within a period of 374,143 years was 

 achieved. The more factors present, the more exact became the re- 

 sulting date imtil the extreme accuracy of the Initial Series is equaled 

 by this last method. 



Although much remains to be done in working out the details of the 

 new system, already it has been possible to decipher some new dates at 



* These two inscriptions may record a very important fact in New Empire chronologs'. It will 

 be noted that while the corresponding day remains the same in each, i. e., 10 Ix, on the left ring 

 the month is apparently 16 Pop, and on the right ring it is 17 Pop, i. e., a shift of one day in the 

 month coefficient. But this is precisely the degree of shift that occurred between the month 

 coefficients of the Old Empire texts and the very late Books of Chilan Balam. In the Old 

 Empire, Ix has a corresponding month coefficient of 2, 7, 12, and 17, while in the Books of Chilan 

 Balam it has 1, 6, 11, and 16. These two inscriptions, apparently recording the same date 

 with this single slight difference, may possibly commemorate the fact that upon this date this 

 important change was effected at Uxmal. 



