AIDS TO THE DECIPHERING OF THE MAYA 

 MANUSCRIPTS 



By E. Foestemann 



NUMBERS AND DATES IN THE DRESDEN CODEX" 



Introduction 



Since explaining in my Erlliuterungen znr Mayahandschrift der 

 Koniglichen offentlichen Bibliothek zu Dresden (Dresden, 1886) the 

 numeral system of the Maya, as well as the series of numbers occur- 

 ring in the manuscript, I have succeeded in obtaining further light 

 on some points of importance closely connected therewith ; and I now 

 present three of these points, while I reserve some which seem not 

 yet ripe for publication. 



The Numerals Inclosed in Red Rings 



In certain passages of the manuscript one or two of several nu- 

 merals standing one above the other are encircled with red. In my 

 Erlaiiterungen I was still obliged to designate these as enigmatic. 

 I here note down these jjassages and indicate the red circles by 

 parentheses : 



Of these sixteen columns of numerals fifteen are entirely correct and 

 require no emendation; in the third group on page 31 alone the writer 

 permitted himself to employ a very extraordinary abbreviation for 



" 7my Entziffernng der Miiyahandschriften, Dresden, August ."?!. 1SS7. 



897 



