roRSTEMANN] THE NUMBERS 433 



dark region of the hieroglyphs from the assured standpoint of the 

 numbers. 



The Numbers 



To facilitate the comprehension of what follows, I give here the 

 following table : 



115 260 360 365 584 780 



2,920 8 5 



11,960 104 46 



14,040 54 39 18 



18,980 73 52 



37,960 146 104 65 



The figures on the left denote five especiall}^ important periods of 

 time; the upper row gives six of the periods mentioned in the fore- 

 going section ; the rest indicate the quotients resulting from the divi- 

 sion of the former by the latter. 



I will also call attention to the proportion : 

 11,960 : 37,960 : : 115 : : 23 : 73. 



We begin by considering the four columns on the right and pro- 

 ceed from below upward and in each line from right to left. 



We first encounter a progression of twelve terms, the first term 

 being 2,920, the diiference being also 2,920, and the last term there- 

 fore being 35,040=12X2,920. Now, 2,920 denotes eight times the 

 solar year (8X365) or five times the Venus year (5X584). 



These twelve figures are all accompanied by the days pertaining to 

 them, between which there is naturally the same difference as between 

 the numbers. But the period of 2,920 days is equal to 11 tonalamatl 

 (11X260) and 60 days. Now, 60=4X13+8; the numbers preceding 

 the day signs, indicating the position in the week of 13 days, must, 

 therefore, be constantly set forward by eight. 



Furthermore, 60=3X20; therefore, the same daj^ will always 

 appear in the series of 20 days after an interval of 2,920 days. And 

 for this day, the most important one is chosen, the one most frequently 

 used, the final point, and, as we may say, the apex of a series begin- 

 ning with the day Imix, the day Ahau, which seems to be sacred 

 to the sun god, the Kin-ich-ahau ('' lord of the day's eye ") , just as the 

 same day in Kekchi and Cakchikel is named after the god Hunahpu. 



The actual zero point from which all the series in the Maya manu- 

 scripts proceed is invariably suppressed or only becomes apparent 

 at the very end of the series. The first thing that is recorded in 

 these series is always the number which results after the expiration 

 of the first period. To find the zero point here we must count back- 

 ward from IX Ahau 60 days, which brings us to I Ahau, a day which 

 is very important in relation to what follows. Here I must utter a 

 warning against the error of supi)osing I Aliau to be the day with 

 '238— No. 28—05 28 



