THOMAS] BEGINNING OF GOODMAN's "GKAND ERA" 269 



arbitrary, thougli it was necessary that the date ehoseu should make 

 couuection with 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu as the first day of a great cycle. 

 His explanation of the grand era, on pages 20 and 27 of his work, 

 shows the relation of the minor ])eriods to it according to his theory, 

 but does not give the reason for selecting 4 Ahau 13 Yax as the initial 

 date. On page 34 he spe;iks of the date as an important one in the 

 inscriptions, l)ut still does not give the reason for making it the 

 beginning of the grand era. 



That any other 4 Ahau, whicii would bring 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu as the 

 first day of a great cycle, would answer as well as 4 Ahau 13 Yax, 

 even on his theory, is easily shown. As the Mayan time count is an 

 orderlj' round, a given day recurring at the end of a certain period, it 

 is evident, as everyone acquainted with the system knows, that the 

 count of periods may begin at any point, unless some fixed point in 

 the series is found with its proper number. One check in this respect 

 found in the inscriptions is the fact just mentioned that, according 

 to Goodman's system, 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu appears to be the initial daj^ 

 of a great cycle, and the initial dates of the other great cycles must 

 fit correctly with this determined initial date — that is to saj', following 

 his theory and counting 13 cycles to the great cycle, these initial dates 

 must all be a day 4 Ahau. Another possible check is the long series 

 in the Copan inscription, which goes ba<-k 14 great cycles preceding 

 that beginning with 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu. 



Let us turn to Goodman's "Perpetual Chronological Calendar," to 

 the great-cycle column. Supjjose that instead of commencing with 

 the date 4 Ahau 13 Yax, with which he begins the grand era, we begin 

 with 4 Ahau 18 Zotz, the initial day of his 40th great cycle. The series 

 will then be as follows, if we adopt his method of numbering: 



73. 4 Ahau IS Zotz 18. 4 Ahau 8 Pop 



1. 4 Ahau IS Cumhu 19. 4 Ahau 8 Muan 



2. 4 Ahau 13 Kaiikin 20. 4 Ahau 3 Zac 



3. 4 Ahau S Yax 21. 4 Ahau IS Xul 



4. 4 Ahau 8 Xul 22. 4 Ahau 13 Uo 



5. 4 Ahau 18 Pop 23. 4 Ahau 13 Pax 



6. 4 Ahau 18 Muan 24. 4 Ahau 8 Ceh 



7. 4 Ahau 13 Zac 2.">. 4 Ahau 3 Mol 



8. 4 Ahau 8 Yaxkin 26. 4 Ahau 18 Zip 



9. 4 Ahau 3 Zip 27. 4 Ahau 18 Kayab 

 10. 4 Ahau 3 Kayab 28. 4 Ahau 13 Mac 

 11.4 Ahau IS Ceh 29. 4 Ahau 8 Chen 



12. 4 Ahau 13 Mol 30. 4 Ahau 3 Tzec 



13. 4 Ahau 8 Zotz 31. 4 Ahau 3 Uayeb 



14. 4 Ahmt S ('iniihu 32. 4 Ahau 18 Kankin 



15. 4 Ahau 3 Kankin 33. 4 Ahau 13 Yax 



16. 4 Ahau IS Chen 34. 4 Ahau 8 Xul 



17. 4 Ahau 13 Tzec 



And SO on to the 72d, the next being 4 Ahau 18 Zotz, with which 

 the numbering began. 



