THOMAS] COPAN INSCRIPTIONS—ALTAR Q 787 
eycle, or, according to the nomenclature we have suggested as correct— 
that 13 units of the fifth order make one of the sixth order. It would 
indicate (unless it can be shown that the 17 cycles is an error) that the 
system in use at Copan was the same as that in the Dresden codex, 
the count being 20. It is true that the series will not connect the first 
date (1 Ahau 8 Zip) with the 1 Ahau 8 Chen which follows, but the 
length of the series indicates, as we have so often found the case, that 
the count is back to some initial date. The order of the series, not- 
withstanding Mr Goodman’s contrary opinion, seems to indicate that 
the count is forward to 1 Ahau 8 Chen. Counting back from 1 Ahau 
8 Chen, year 3 Ben, we reach 12 Ahau 13 Zotz, year 5 Lamat, which 
would be the initial date. 
Counting 20 cycles to the great cycle, as we are justified in assum- 
ing is correct, would of course put out of order Mr Goodman’s 
tables so far as they relate to great cycles and the numbering of the 
cycles, though it would not affect the order of the katuns. The date 
12 Ahau 13 Zotz is, as we find by his table, the first day of the sixth 
katun, sixth cycle of his fifty-fifth great cycle. This, however, will 
be further noticed when we come to the discussion of the initial series. 
STELA P 
I pass by Stela P, as I believe Mr Goodman’s interpretation of the 
initial series (the only part noticed by him) to be largely guesswork, 
and as there are no recognizable minor series. 
ALTAR Q 
We turn next to the inscription on the top of Altar Q, of which 
Maudslay gives a large and clear photograph and a good drawing. 
This is to be read by double columns, as usual, commencing at the upper 
left hand. The first two glyphs give the date 5 Caban 15 Yaxkin. 
Passing over three characters, we reach another date, 8 Ahau 18 
Yaxkin. There is no intermediate numeral series, but a reference to 
our table 1 will show that these two dates are but 3 days apart. 
At the bottom of the first column is the symbol for 12 days, 7 chuens, 
which is followed at the top of the third and fourth columns by 5 Ben 
11 Muan. The 12-day numeral to the left of the chuen symbol should 
certainly be 13, notwithstanding the fact that Maudslay’s drawing gives 
itas 12. An inspection of his photograph shows a middle prominence 
which appears to be part of a ball, though he renders it without any 
evident reason a cross. Counting forward 7 months and 13 days in 
the year 1 Akbal (in which these dates fall), on our table 2, from 8 
Ahau 18 Yaxkin, we reach 5 Ben 11 Muan, which is correct. At the 
bottom of the third column is the symbol of 17 katuns, which does not 
appear to bea counter, but which Mr Goodman interprets seventeenth 
katun. Following this at the bottom of the fourth column is 6 Ahau, 
and at the top of the fifth column 13 Kayab. The next date, which is 
