INSCRIPTIONS OF THE GREAT PERIOD. 285 
on the subject. It should be noted, however, before closing its discussion 
here, that the internal evidence afforded by the glyphs of this passage, 
particularly p14 identified by the writer as the great-cycle glyph, strongly 
corroborates the conclusions set forth above. 
Thomas also rejects Goodman’s reading here. He agrees with the writer 
in believing that all the six periods recorded in B10 to B14 are parts of the 
same numerical series—14.17.19.10.0.0—and that there were 20 cycles to 
a great cycle, instead of 13, which Goodman and Bowditch allow. He, 
however, disagrees with the writer in assuming that 1 Ahau 8 Chen was the 
closing-point of the count instead of 1 Ahau 3 Zip. In this way he gets 12 
Ahau 13 Zotz as the starting-point, which he further states is “the first day of 
the sixth katun, the sixth cycle of his (Goodman’s) fifty-fifth great cycle.” 
If correct, this would make his starting-point for this Secondary Series more 
than 3,500 years later than the Initial Series of Stela N, and his terminal 
date more than 117,000 years later. Such readings as these may well be 
viewed with suspicion and constitute their own strongest refutation.! 
Seler sheds no additional light on this inscription, and indeed falls into a 
curious and unnecessary error concerning its Initial Series: 
“As here [Stela C at Copan] so also there appears to be on Stela N at Copan, 
a mistake in reckoning or in signs. The given multipliers do not lead to the 
given day 1 Ahau at the end of the Initial Series, but to the day 10 Ahau. Perhaps 
one must read in the second positions [a3], 16 X 20 X 360 (instead of 18 X 20 X 360). 
In that case the addition would result in a figure which would be the difference 
between 1 Ahau 3 Zip and the norm date 4 Ahau 8 Cumhu.’” 
Apparently Professor Seler reads the katun coefficient, his “second posi- 
tion,’ as 18 instead of 16; but suggests that a change to 16 will reach the 
terminal date as recorded. This is indeed carrying coals to Newcastle, 
since A3 is clearly already 16 and not 18 katuns, as he seems to imply in 
the above passage. 
Around the base of Stela N 
there are four bands of glyphs ar- 


(pr 
G 

ranged thus: each band hav- 
ing 8 glyph- blocks or 32 
in all, which, added to the 4 
on the monument proper, make 72 
for the entire text. These present 
two Calendar Round dates and a 
Secondary Series. (See figure 42.) 
One date begins the band of glyphs 
on the south side of the monument, 
the other begins the band on the 
east side, and the Secondary Series begins the band on the west side. ‘The 

Fic. 42.—Part of inscription on pedestal of Stela N. 

1Thomas discusses this text at some length (1900, pp. 786, 787, 794-797; and 1904, pp. 254-257), and 
although the writer can not agree with all his conclusions, it should be noted that he was the first to maintain that 
the great-cycle contained 20 and not 13 cycles. 
2Seler, 1902-1908, vol. 1, p. 756. 
