The Maya "Roman numerals"--that is, the normal-form numerals, up to and
including 19--were expressed by varying combinations of two elements, the
dot (.) which represented the numeral, or numerical value, 1, and the bar,
or line (--) which represented the numeral, or numerical value, 5. By
various combinations of these two {88} elements alone the Maya expressed
all the numerals from 1 to 19, inclusive. The normal forms of the numerals
in the codices are shown in figure 39, in which one dot stands for 1, two
dots for 2, three dots for 3, four dots for 4, one bar for 5, one bar and
one dot for 6, one bar and two dots for 7, one bar and three dots for 8,
one bar and four dots for 9, two bars for 10, and so on up to three bars
and four dots for 19. The normal forms of the numerals, in the inscriptions
(see fig. 40) are identical with those in the codices, excepting that they
are more elaborate, the dots and bars both taking on various decorations.
Some of the former contain a concentric circle () or cross-hatching ();
some appear as crescents (+) or curls (++), more rarely as (++) or (++++).
The bars show even a greater variety of treatment (see fig. 41). All these
decorations, however, in no way affect the numerical value of the bar and
the dot, which remain 5 and 1, respectively, throughout the Maya writing.
Such embellishments as those just described are found only in the
inscriptions, and their use was probably due to the desire to make the bar
and dot serve a decorative as well as a numerical function.
[Illustration: FIG. 39. Normal forms of numerals 1 to 19, inclusive, in the
codices.]
[Illustration: FIG. 40. Normal forms of numerals 1 to 19, inclusive, in the
inscriptions.]
[Illustration: FIG. 41. Examples of bar and dot numeral 5, showing the
ornamentation which the bar underwent without affecting its numerical
value.]
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