126 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 57 



The writer believes that whatever it may be, it is at least not a mem- 

 ber of this series, and in support of his belief he suggests that if it 

 were, why should it alone be retained in recording all Initial-series 

 dates, whereas the other three — the great-great-great cycle, the great- 

 great cycle, and the great-cycle signs — have disappeared. 



The following explanation, the writer believes, satisfactorily accounts 

 for all of these points, though it is advanced here only l)y way of sug- 

 gestion as a possible solution of the meaning of the Initial-series 

 introducing glyph. It is suggested that in Al we may have a sign 

 representing "eternity," "this world," "time"; that is to say, a sign 

 denoting the duration of the present world-epoch, the epoch of 

 which the Maya civilization occupied only a small part. The middle 

 dot of the upper element, being 1, denotes that this world-epoch is 

 the first, or present, one, and the whole glyph itself might mean "the 

 present world." The appropriateness of such a glyph ushering in 

 every Initial-series date is apparent. It signified time in general, 

 while the succeecUng 7 glyphs denoted what particular day of time 

 was designated in the inscription. 



But why, even admitting the correctness of this interpretation of 

 Al, should the great-great-great cycle, the great-great cycle, and 

 the great cycle of their chronological scheme be omitted, and 

 Initial-series dates always open with this glyph, which signifies 

 time in general, followed by the current cycle ? The answer to this 

 question, the writer believes, is that the cycle was the greatest 

 period with which the Maya could have had actual experience. It 

 will be shown in Chapter V that there are a few Cycle-8 dates 

 actually recorded, as well as a half a dozen Cycle-10 dates. That 

 is, the cycle, wliich changed its coefficient every 400 years, was a 

 period wliich they could not regard as never changing within the 

 range of human experience. On the other hand, it was the shortest 

 period of which they were uncertain, since the great cycle could 

 change its coefficient only every 8,000 years — practically eternity so 

 far as the Maya were concerned. Therefore it could be omitted as 

 well as the two liigher periods in a date without giving rise to con- 

 fusion as to which great cycle was the current one. The cycle, on 

 the contrary, had to be given, as its coefficient changed every 400 

 years, and the Maya are known to have recorded dates in at least 

 three cycles — Nos. 8, 9, and 10. Hence, it was Great Cycle 19 for 

 8,000 years. Great-great Cycle 11 for 160,000, and Great-great-great 

 Cycle 1 for 3,200,000 years, whereas it was Cycle 9 for only 400 years. 

 This, not the fact that the Maya never had a period higher than the 

 cycle, the writer befieves was the reason why the three higher periods 

 were omitted from Initial-series dates — they were unnecessary so far 

 as accuracy was concerned, since there could never be any doubt 

 concerning them. 



