MORLEY— MAYA SUPPLEMENTARY SERIES 



If this interpretation of Glyph E should prove to be correct, it 

 would appear to indicate that the Maya recognized in addition to 

 their regular numerical count, the third term of which was 360, 

 another, the third term of which was 400. The discussion of this 

 point would carry us too far afield to be presented here, but the 

 possibility of another and purely vigesimal system of numeration 

 should not be neglected by Maya students. 



Beyond the fact that Glyph E, and at Yaxchilan an associated 

 glyph, as it were, record a number of days, it appears unwise to press 

 interpretation farther at this time. It is possible, however, that Glyph 

 E may indicate the position of the Initial Series day in some lunar 

 group, or possibly the distance of the Initial Series day from some 

 particular lunar phenomenon like an eclipse. The fact that it records 

 a definite number of days in each case considerably restricts the field 

 of its possible relation to the other glyphs of the Supplementary Series. 



GLYPH F 



With Glyph F we probably come back again to a sign of impor- 

 tant general meaning like Glyph B, important because it is found in 

 about 75 per cent of all the texts under observation (see Table VII). 



TABLE VII 



Glyph A occurs in 97 per cent of the texts under observation 



C 

 X 

 B 

 F 

 D 

 G 

 E 



97 

 93 

 80 

 72 

 50 

 35 

 30 



It does not occur on the two earliest known Supplementary Series, 

 Nos. 1 and 2, but it appears very early at Copan (see No. 57) and 

 in Katun 8 at Piedras Negras (see No. 9). It occurs both as a normal 

 form and as a head variant, the former outnumbering the latter almost 

 two to one. There is one element, however, the superfix, usually com- 

 mon to both y^Jtf l J ) , though even this is occasionally wanting 



(see Nos. 46, 47, and 50). In addition to this superfix the normal form 

 is composed of two other elements: (1) a subfix of very constant 



character ((? ^ == ^M ; ( 2 ) a main central element, usually a knot 

 ^ ( ( F^J . and more rarely a winged oval f/^7r\^^\- In the 



[387] 



