Now let us look for one of these four terminal dates in the text. The day
reached by an Initial Series is almost invariably recorded immediately
after the last period glyph; therefore, if this inscription is regular, the
day glyph should be B4. This glyph probably has the coefficient 12 (2 bars
and 2 numerical dots), the oblong element between probably being ornamental
only. This number must be either 11 or 12, since if it were 13 the 3 dots
would all be of the same size, which is not the case. An inspection of the
coefficient in B4 eliminates from consideration, therefore, the last two of
the above four possible terminal dates, and reduces the possible values for
the kin coefficient in A4 to 0 or 1. Comparing the glyph in B4 with the day
signs in figure 16, the form here recorded will be found to be identical
with the sign for Imix in figure 16, a. This eliminates the first terminal
date above and leaves the second, the day part of which {178} we have just
seen appears in B4. This further proves that the kin coefficient in A4 is
1. The final confirmation of this identification will come from the month
glyph, which must be 4 Pop if we have correctly identified the day as 12
Imix. If, on the other hand, the day were 11 Ahau, the month glyph would be
3 Pop. Passing over A5 B5, A6 B6, C1 D1, and C2, we, reach in D2a the
closing glyph of the Supplementary Series, here showing the coefficient 9.
Compare this form with figure 65. The month glyph, therefore, should appear
in D2b. The coefficient of this glyph is very clearly 4, thus confirming
our identification of B4 as 12 Imix. (See Table VII.) And finally, the
month glyph itself is Pop. Compare D2b with figure 19, a. The whole Initial
Series in plate 9, _B_, therefore reads 9.12.8.14.1 12 Imix 4 Pop.
In plate 10, is figured the Initial Series from Stela 3 at Tikal.[147] The
introducing glyph, though somewhat effaced, may still be recognized in A1.
The Initial-series number follows in B1-B3. The head-variant period glyphs
are too badly weathered to show the determining characteristic in each
case, except the uinal head in A3, the mouth curl of which appears clearly,
and their identification rests on their relative positions with reference
to the introducing glyph. The reliability of this basis of identification
for the period glyphs of Initial Series has been thoroughly tested in the
texts already presented and is further confirmed in this very inscription
by the uinal head. Even if the large mouth curl of the head in A3 had not
proved that the uinal was recorded here, we should have assumed this to be
the case because this glyph, A3, is the fourth from the introducing glyph.
The presence of the mouth curl therefore confirms the identification based
on position. The student will have no difficulty in reading the number
recorded in B1-B3 as 9.2.13.0.0.
Reducing this number by means of Table XIII to units of the first order, we
obtain:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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