A Possible Solution of the Number Series on Pages 51 to 58 of the Dresden Codex — John Shaqi
A Possible Solution of the Number Series on Pages 51 to 58 of the Dresden CodexGuthe, Carl E. (Carl Eugen)
Science
A Possible Solution of the Number Series on Pages 51 to 58 of the Dresden Codex
Guthe, Carl E. (Carl Eugen)
Codex Dresdensis Maya
The second time this intercalary day occurs in each third is 47 months
later. Obviously, this may be the recurrence of this intercalation in a
repetition of a smaller group of months than the 135-month group. If 47
months are subtracted from the 79th month which is the third in the
second 178-day group the result is 32, which implies that the smaller
division is 47 months. Two 47-month periods complete all but 41 of the
135 months in each third. Then, of necessity, if each third of the
manuscript is a unit, a 41-month group follows two 47-month groups, an
arrangement which also agrees with the eclipse groups in Tables V.
The two 178-day groups account for only two of the three intercalated
days, and since no 178-day group occurs in the 41-month division, the
addition of this day must have been accomplished in some more obscure
manner. Since both 47 and 41 are odd numbers, each group must contain at
least one more month of one kind than the other. Since two synodical
revolutions of the moon are slightly longer than two calendrical months
it is wisest to start and end each group with a 30-day month. If this is
done, the 47-month group will contain twenty-five 30-day and twenty-two
29-day months, and the 41-month group twenty-one 30-day and twenty
29-day months, making for the composition of the 135 months, seventy-one
30-day and sixty-four 29-day months, that is, seven more of the 30-day
months than of those of 29 days, showing that actually three of the
sixty-seven 29-day months expected in a normal repetition have become
30-day months. This is caused by the occurrence of two 30-day months in
succession at the end of one series and the beginning of the next. If
the 135 months in each third are numbered in succession it will be seen
that in the first 47-month group and in the 41-month group, the 30-day
months are the odd numbers. In the second 47-month group they are the
even numbers, of which there is one more in this division than odd
numbers, thus accounting for the additional one of the three days.
If the period of 3986 days were considered by itself, the arrangement
given would be sufficient. As soon, however, as this period is repeated
a number of times an error develops, since 135 synodical revolutions of
the moon are completed in 3986.63 days. Twice this number gives 7973.26,
or 1.26 days more than twice 3986. In order to keep the sequence of
months in the arrangement given above in accordance with the moon, it
becomes necessary to intercalate one more day every two repetitions of
the 3986 period. This may be done by changing the last 29-day month in
the 41-month group to a 30-day month, making the last 177-day group in
the third one of 178 days. The Mayas certainly did this in the first
third of the series given and arranged for it in the last third in a
manner which will be demonstrated later.
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