14-18. If the preceding signs led us to the Venus-solar period and to the
continuation of this subject on pages 46-50, these five hieroglyphs bring
us to the Mercury-lunar period and later, on pages 51-58, which are devoted
to the same period, we shall find a parallel especially on the last page.
First comes 14, which, as has been acknowledged, is the sign for 20 × 360 =
7200 days. 15, a hand holding a rectangle divided by a cross into four
parts, is, I believe, the sign for the period of 20 days augmented to 21 by
the 1 in front of it. The much more distinct form of sign 16 on the middle
of page 58 and also at the top of page 53, should be compared with the sign
as given here. The top part is the familiar Ben-Ik sign denoting the 10th
and 19th days, and the bottom is the sign of the 14th division of 20 days,
which make up the year. Now, however, the 10th day, when it becomes the
19th of the next 20 days, is distant from the first 29 days. The prefix
consists of two parts:--First two small circles joined by a zigzag line,
which I think denotes the division of a day into halves; the sign would
then equal 29½ days, _i.e._, very nearly the true lunar month. Second, of
two vertical lines, which might denote a doubling. The whole would then be
equal to 2 × 29½ = 59. I admit that this interpretation is very artificial
and I should be very glad if a better explanation could be found. On the
other hand the 17th hieroglyph becomes quite clear when it is compared with
the parallel passage on page 58; it is 13 × 360 = 4680 days, a third of the
remarkable period of 14,040 days.
Thus we have
Hieroglyph 14 = 7200
" 15 = 21
" 16 = 59
" 17 = 4680
-----
11960,
which is exactly the lunar-Mercury period.
The sign Xul = conclusion, end, is fittingly added in 18 to the end of this
period, as also on page 58. This sign is very common on pages 61 and 62 at
the end of the long periods.
From signs 19 and 20 we see that the four parts of the Venus year are also
about to be treated of here, that is, the periods of 236, 90, 250 and 8
days respectively, which are discussed on pages 46-50. For 19 is the sign
for Venus, and 20 is a hand with a knife as a superfix, which divides the
Venus revolution. This hand appears 20 times in like manner on the pages
mentioned above.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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