INSCRIPTIONS OF THE GREAT PERIOD. 379 
Fragment Z’ would appear to have been part of a hieroglyphic cornice, 
or at least part of a horizontal architectural member. (Note the plain bands 
both above and below.) Part of one glyph only appears, which looks some- 
thing like the head of God C. Excavation here would doubtless bring to 
light the remaining fragments of this text, which, however, may be assigned 
to the Great Period on the basis of the stylistic criteria. 
This bench of hills on the north side of the valley, from the Quebrada 
Seca, Group 4, westward to Group 9, a distance 4.5 kilometers, has been 
artificially leveled off from end to end and covered with stone buildings. 
Practically no excavations have been made along this bench, and it offers 
one of the most promising parts of the city for future investigation, 
especially Groups 4 and 6, which, judging from the number of sculptured 
fragments found lying loose on the surface, must have been sections of con- 
siderable importance. 
Before closing this analysis of the Copan inscriptions, it is necessary to 
describe one last text from this site, namely, an engraved peccary skull dating 
from the Early Period, the description of which has been deferred to this 
point in order that it should not interrupt the continuous presentation of the 
monumental sequence. 
This skull was found, with another similarly engraved, by the First 
Peabody Museum Expedition under Saville in 1892 in Tomb 1 just south of 
the Main Structure between Mounds 34 and 36. (See plate 1.) It lay on 
the floor of the tomb by the side of the other skull, and was associated with 
other objects of bone, jade beads and the like, and several skeletons. Spinden 
gives a drawing of it (1913, fig. 210) and an excellent description of the 
design (ibid, p. 151); the part of the inscription presenting the date shown 
in figure 56, a, however, was re- 
drawn by the writer directly from 
the original now in the Peabody 
Museum (catalogue number C. 
201). 
The panel of four glyphs shown 
here is in the center of the top of 
the skull, and is the most conspic- 
uous part of the entire design. It _Fia.s6i-m Tas of nmsision on nssary shul fom 
is flanked by two seated human fig- ¢, Stela 253d, Stela 15;¢, Stela 16. 
ures facing the panel, and elsewhere 
on the top there are three running peccary, a jaguar, a monkey, and other 
human figures and glyphs, the whole beautifully executed in incised lines, 
except for a few of the glyphs on the sides, which are in low relief, made 
by cutting the background somewhat deeper. 

