Chapter I. 



DISCUSSION OF THE TIME SERIES OF THE DRESDEN 



CODEX. 



A somewhat extended discussion of the numerals on plates 46-50 of 

 the Dresden codex will be found on pages 294-305 of the paper entitled 

 "Notes on the Maya Codices," in the Sixth Annual Report of the 

 Bureau of Ethnology. There is, however, one point connected with 

 these plates which is of more importance than anything else found on 

 them, but of which only incidental mention was made. This relates to 

 the month symbols and tlie numbers attached thereto. Since writing 

 that article I have discovered the significance of these numbers, and 

 from them have obtained positive evidence that, in this instance, the 

 author of the codex refers to a year of 365 days (which requires the 

 addition of five supplementary days to the year of eighteen 20-day 

 months), and to the four year-series having the four different "year- 

 bearers." To avoid going over the discussion again, the reader is 

 referred to that paper. It is necessary, however, in order that what 

 follows may be understood, to repeat in part the statements made 

 therein. As pointed out in that paper, these five plates are peculiar, 

 and seem to have no direct relation to any other ])art of the codex. 



In the upper left-hand corner of each plate there are four day col- 

 umns, all more or less injured. Each column evidently contained origin- 

 ally thirteen days, or, more correctly speaking, the symbol for one 

 day repeated thirteen times. In every case the day in the first (left- 

 hand) column and that in the third column are the same. As the num- 

 bers attached to them are absolutely unreadable in Kingsborough and 

 partly obliterated in the photograph, I give here restorations (table 1) 

 for the benefit of those studying this codex. This restoration is easily 

 made by finding the order of the series, which can be obtained from 

 plates 49 and 50 of the photographic copy. 



The red numerals at the bottom of each of these plates of the codex 

 are as follows : 



11 4 12 



16 10 10 8 



Tlu' upi)er numbers stand for months, the lower ones for days. These 

 are counters used to denote the intervals between the corresponding 

 days in the columns, thus: From III Cib (first column, plate 46) to II 

 Cimi (second column, same plate) is 4 months and 10 days; from II 

 Cimi to Y Cib (third column) is 12 months and 10 days; from V Cib to 

 XIII Kan (fourth column) is 8 days; and from XIII Kan (last column, 

 plate 46) to II Ahau (first column, plate 47) is 11 months and 16 days. 

 This holds good throughout to the last column on plate 50, using the 

 first day in each column. It is also true if the second day or any other 

 day in thecolumn is used, provided the count is carried through the entire 

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