Che THE INSCRIPTIONS AT COPAN. 
former extends around the block, leaving only the back available for the 
inscription. This is a late development, as already noted. It was intro- 
duced first on Stela D in 9.15.5.0.0, and became increasingly popular as the 
Great Period progressed. It was repeated on Stela M a katun later, but 
omitted on the next two monuments, N and C, and finally used in the last 
three stele in the Great Plaza, F,,H, and 4. Its occurrence on Stela 11) 
therefore, is in itself a strong indication of lateness. 
Finally, the provenance of the monument, 7.e., in the Eastern Court, 
a late construction, would tend to indicate that it dates from the latter part 
of the city’s occupation. In fact, all the lines of evidence available, the 
stylistic criteria as well as the provenance, indicate that Stela 11 is to be 
referred to the Great Period and probably to its latter part. Even this does 
not greatly aid us, however, in deciphering the exact date unless we postulate 
that this monument dates from a hotun-ending. If this were true, it can be 
found from Goodman’s tables that there were only three hotuns in the Great 
Period which ended on a day 6 or 7 Ahau, namely: 
9.16.15.0.0 7 Ahau 18 Pop 
9.17. 5.0.0 6 Ahau 13 Kayab 
Io. 0. 0.0.0 7 Ahau 18 Zip 
Of these the last is almost certainly too late for Copan, and of the remain- 
ing two, 9.17.5.0.0 would appear to be the better reading, since this same date 
is also recorded on Altar Q, which also has the same unusual glyph as a2 on 
Stela 11, and also because most of the dated monuments and temples in the 
Eastern and Western Courts may be referred to 9.17.0.0.0 or the following 
hotun. 
ALTaR O’, 
Provenance: Found in 1915 in the Eastern Court in front of the 
Jaguar Stairway at the Acropolis, Main Structure. 
(See plate 6.) 
Date: The Great Period. 
Text, (a) photograph: plate 9, f, g, h. 
(b) drawing: figure 52. 
Altar O’ was found by the writer in the Eastern Court at the Acropolis, 
Main Structure, in front of the Jaguar Stairway, in 1915. No previous 
reference to it appears to have been made, and its original provenance was 
doubtless nearby. It is now in the southwestern corner of the court, whither 
some one has since carried it. 
Altar O’ in its present condition is 66 cm. high, 16 cm. wide, and 27 cm. 
deep. The front and sides are sculptured with glyphs, the back being dressed 
smooth, but left plain. Parts are missing both from the top and bottom, 
indicated by the broken edges at bothends. Possibly the central or preserved 
part of this altar rested on a pedestal and was surmounted by some orna- 
ment. (See fig. 52.) 
There are 4 columns of 5 glyph-blocks each on the back and two 
columns of the same number of glyph-blocks on each of the sides, making a 
