THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION 105 
The year is determined by the revolution of the earth 
around the sun and by the recurring seasons. No agri- 
cultural people could neglect this time period with its 
Fig. 40. Face Numerals found in Mayan Inscriptions. In 
most cases these are the faces of gods. Reading,from left to 
right: the values are I, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10. 
Fig. 41. The Normal Forms of the Period Glyphs. Reading 
from left to right: cycle, katun, tun, uinal, kin. 
Fig. 42. Face Forms of Period Glyphs. From left to right: 
introducing glyph, cycle, katun, tun, uinal, kin. 
obvious relation to planting and harvest. Reference 
has already been made to the notational 360 day year 
(tun) and to the conventional 365 day year (haab). The 
statement was then made that the Mayas made a cor- 
rection for the excess of the true year over the con- 
ventional 365 day year. ‘The excess amounts to about 
.24 of a day and their correction seems to have been one 
day in four years for ordinary purposes and 25 days in 
104 years over longer stretches of time. This latter 
correction is more accurate than was that of the Julian 
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