FORSTEMANN. ] INSCRIPTION ON THE CROSS OF PALENQUE 551 



number both above and before it. The first states how many such 

 periods are meant; the second, how many additional single days. 

 Then follow the signs for 360, 7,200, and occasionally also for 

 144,000 days, provided with numbers which indicate how many such 

 periods there are. 



In accordance with this the following is the actual framework of 

 the inscription : 



Date Interval 



1 A 16B IC. D 1 C3 



3 D3C4 D5C6 



3 C9D9 D 10 



4 C 11 D 11 D13-D14 



5 ElFl F5-F6 



6 E9F 9 ElO-F 11 



7 F12E13 F15-F16 



8 T2S3 T3 



9 S4T4 S6TC 



10 T8S9 T9 



11 SIOTIO S12Tr3 



12 S14T14 S15 



13 T17U1 U3-U4 



14 U7V7 U8-U9 



15 UIOVIO V13-V14 



16 U17V17 W1-W2 



17 XSWTj X6-W7 



18 X 10 Wll X 11-X 13 



19 W 14X14 W 15X15 



Of the pairs of glyphs, which together express a certain date, 

 the first (A It), D 3, C 9, etc.) must ahvaj^s designate one of the 20 

 days, the second (B IG, C -i, D 9, etc.) one of the 18 so-called months. 

 This observation will decidedly facilitate the final deciphering of 

 this and of kindred inscriptions, although progress in this direction 

 is checked by countless difficulties — variants, deviations of the monu- 

 mental from the written text, abrasion, and disintegration. If I 

 were to review the entire tablet in detail, the numerous queries would 

 still give the impression of a barren waste. I can only direct atten- 

 tion here to a few points of special interest. 



The study of the first two dates and the intervening period is 

 already sufficiently interesting. It reminds us of the beginning of 

 the large numliers and dates on page 24 (below on the left) of the 

 Dresden codex. Here we found two dates 



1 17; 18, 17th month. 

 IV 17 ; 8, 18th mouth. 



and perceived that they were separated by 2,200 (8X200+()X20) 

 days. Now, we find in the Cross inscription : 



A 16: 1,17 BIG: 18, unknown month. 

 D3; IV 17 04; 8, ISth month. 



Between them, however, is D 1, the sign for 20, and above it, as 

 there was no room on the left, in all probability a (the 1 for lack of 



