INTRODUCTION TO STUDY OF MAYA HIEROGLYPHS 



135 



Table XIII. VALUES OF HIGHER 

 PERIODS IN TERMS OF LOWEST, 

 IN INSCRIPTIONS 



1 great cycle = 



cycle 

 katiin 



tun 

 iiiiial 



kin 



2,880,000 



144,000 



7,200 



360 



20 



1 



Table XIV. VALUES OF HIGHER 

 PERIODS IN TERMS OF LOWEST, 

 IN CODICES 



,880,000 



144,000 



7,200 



600 



20 



1 



1 unit of the 6th place= 

 1 unit of the 5th place 

 1 unit of the 4th place 

 1 unit of the 3d place 

 1 unit of the 2d place 

 1 imit of the l8t place 



It should be remembered, in using these tables, that each of the signs 

 for the periods therein given has its own particular numerical value, 

 and that this value in each case is a multiplicand which is to be multi- 

 plied by the numeral attached to it (not shown in Table XIII). For 

 example, a 3 attached to the katun sign reduces to 21,600 units of the 

 first order (3x7,200). Again, 5 attached to the uinal sign reduces 

 to 100 units of the first order (5 X 20). In using Table XIV, however, 

 it should be remembered that the position of a numeral multipHer 

 determines at the same time that multipUer's multiplicand. Thus a 

 5 in the third place indicates that the 5's multiplicand is 360, the 

 numerical value of the third place, and such a term reduces to 1,800 

 units of the first place (5x360=1,800). AgSi'm, a 10 in the fourth 

 place indicates that the lO's multiplicand is 7,200, the numerical value 

 corresponding to the fourth place, and such a term reduces to 72,000 

 units of the first place. 



Having reduced all the terms of a number to units of the 1st order, 

 the next step in finding out its meaning is to discover the date from 

 which it is counted. This operation gives rise to the second step. 



Second Step in Solving Maya Numbers 



Find the date from which the number is counted. 



This is not always an easy matter, since the dates from which Maya 

 numbers are counted are frequently not expressed in the texts; con- 

 sequently, it is clear that no single rule can be formtilated which will 

 cover all cases. There are, however, two general rules which will be 

 found to apply to the great majority of numbers in the texts: 



Rule 1. When the starting point or date is expressed, usually, 

 though not invariably, it precedes - the number counted from it. 



It should be noted, however, in connection with this rule, that the 

 starting date hardly ever immediately precedes the number from 

 which it is counted, but that several glyphs nearly always stand 



1 This number is formed on the basis of 20 cycles to a great cj'cle (20X144,000=2,880,000). The writer 

 assumes that he has established the fact that 20 cycles were required to make 1 great cycle, in the inscrip- 

 tions as well as in the codices. 



2 This is true in spite of the fact that in the codices the starting points frequently appear to follow— that 

 is, they stand below— the numbers which are counted from them. In reality such cases are perfectly 

 regular and conform to this rule, because there the order is not from top to bottom but from bottom to top, 

 and, therefore, when read in this direction the dates come first. 



