THOMAS] NUMBER OF CYCLES IN GREAT CYCLE 255 



Ahaii >! Cumhii, year '.) Ben. If we eoiint back tlie great cycles one 

 by one (coimtinj;- 20 cycles to a great cycle), we shall find the initial 

 dates to l)e us follows — the numbers given the groat cycles being, of 

 course, arbitrai'y: 



1st great cycle 13 Ahavi 13 Zotz, year o Lamat 



2ndgreat cycle 5 Ahait 3 Ceh. year 4 Ezaiiab 



3rd great cycle 11 Ahaii 8 Pop, year 4 Ben 



4tli great cycle 4 Ahau 18 Mol, year 3 Akbal 



oth great cycle 10 Ahau 8 Pas. year 2 Ben 



6th great cycle 3 Ahan 13 Tzec. year 2 Lamat 



Tth great cycle 9 Ahau 3 Mac. year 1 Ezanab 



8th great cycle 2 Ahau 8 Uo. year 1 Ben 



9th great cycle .. 8 Aha\i 18 Chen, year 13 Akbal 



loth great cycle 1 Ahau 8 Kayab, year 12 Ben 



1 1th great cycle 7 Ahau 13 Xul, year 13 Lamat 



12th great cycle 13 Ahau 3 Kankin. year 11 Ezanab 



13th gi-eat cycle 6 Ahau 8 Zip, year 11 Ben 



14th great cycle 12 Ahau 18 Yax. year 10 Akbal 



loth great cycle 5 Ahau 8 Cumhu. year 9 Ben 



This result shows our calculation to be correct, taking the day of 

 the inscription (1 Ahan 8 Chen) as that from which to count back. 

 As there are 14 complete great cj'cles, which we estimate at 20 cj'cles 

 each, and the minor periods (17 cycles, 19 katuns, and 10 ahaus), the 

 latter must fall in the 15tli great cycle, which is incomplete. Count- 

 ing back these minor periods, we reach, as has been stated, 5 Ahau S 

 Cumhu, year 9 Ben, as the first day of this 15th great cycle. Counting 

 back from this latter date 20 cycles (or 1 great cycle) we reach 12 

 Ahau IS Yax, j'ear 10 Akbal, the first day of the 14tli great cycle, 

 and so on to the initial day of the first, which we find to be 12 Ahau 

 13 Zotz, j'ear 5 Lamat, giving exactly the same result as our calcula- 

 tion of the whole as one single series. Bj^ both methods the first daj' 

 of the entire series, and hence the first great cycle as numbered 

 above, is found to be 12 Ahau 13 Zotz. But this, though correct so 

 far as calculation is concerned, is not proof, as the results given must 

 necessarily follow if the date counted from is 1 Ahau 8 Chen, and 20 

 cycles are counted to a great cycle. This is unsatisfactory, as it fails 

 to bi'iug in as the first day of a great cycle 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu, which 

 was a normal date at Copan. 



I am strongly inclined to believe that the terminal date of the series 

 instead of 1 Ahau 8 Chen, as given in the inscription, should be 13 

 Ahau 8 Chen, which falls in the j'ear 2 Ben. If we count back from 

 this date 17 cycles, 19 katuns, 10 ahaus, cliuens, days, it will bring 

 us to 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu, year 8 Ben, as the first day of the 15th great 

 cycle, as we have arbitrarilj' numbered them above. If we count back 

 tile entire series, 14-17-19-1O-0-0, from 13 Ahau 8 Chen, year 2 Ben, it 

 brings us to 11 Ahau 13 Zotz, year 4 Lamat, as the first day of the 1st 



