While at Copan in May, 1912, the writer was shown a fragment of a stela
which he was told was a part of this monument (Stela 15). This showed the
top parts of two consecutive glyphs, the first of which very clearly had a
coefficient of 12 and the one following of 8. The glyphs to which these
coefficients belonged were missing, but the coincidence of the two numbers
12 (?) 8 (?) was so striking when taken into consideration with the fact
that these were the day and month coefficients reached by calculation, that
the writer was inclined to accept this fragment as the missing part of
Stela 15 which showed the terminal date. This whole Initial Series
therefore reads: 9.4.10.0.0 12 Ahau 8 Mol. It is chiefly interesting
because it shows the earliest use of head-variant numerals known.
In the foregoing texts plate 12, _A_, _B_, figure 69, _A_, _B_, and figure
70, the head-variant numerals 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17,
and 18 have been given, and, excepting the forms for 2, 11, and 12, these
include examples of all the head numerals.[161] No more texts specially
illustrating this type of numeral will be presented, but when any of the
head numerals not figured above (2, 7, 11, 12, 16, and 19) occur in future
texts their presence will be noted.
Before taking up the consideration of unusual or irregular Initial Series
the writer has thought best to figure one Initial Series the period glyphs
and numerals of which are expressed by full-figure forms. As mentioned on
page 68, such inscriptions are exceedingly rare, and such glyphs, moreover,
are essentially the same as head-variant forms, since their determining
characteristics are restricted to their head parts, which are exactly like
the corresponding head-variant forms. This fact will greatly aid the
student in identifying the full-figure glyphs in the following text.
In plate 14 is figured the Initial Series from Stela D at Copan.[162] The
introducing glyph is recorded in A1. The variable central element in
keeping with the other glyphs of the inscription appears here as a full
figure, the lower part of which is concealed by the tun-sign.[163]
[Illustration: INITIAL SERIES ON STELA D, COPAN, SHOWING
FULL-FIGURE NUMERAL GLYPHS AND PERIOD GLYPHS]
{189}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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