Commentary on the Maya Manuscript in the Royal Public Library of Dresden

by Ernst Wilhelm Förstemann

Page 51. 52. 53. 54. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

Page 55. 56. 57. 58. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 51. 52. 53. 54. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69.

Since each group contains two hieroglyphs, this makes 138. in all. Of these, however, about 24 on the upper halves of the pages, are wholly or almost wholly effaced which very materially hinders the trustworthy determination of the context.

Furthermore group 59 is entirely lacking or rather group 58, in the place of which the 59th has been set down. The eighth

picture was probably already drawn, when the artist saw that there was not room enough left for the 58th and 59th groups. Hence he omitted the 58th, setting down in place of it the 59th and in the place of the latter he set down the zero mentioned above.

The question now arises:—Are these hieroglyphs dependent upon the days and numbers of the series and upon the pictures, or are they entirely independent of them?

I find but one point in favor of the first possibility, viz:—the Venus sign in group 4b (I will designate the upper hieroglyphs by a and the lower by b). It is placed in the period indicated in which 502-679 days elapse, and in which, therefore, Venus has finished a revolution of 584 days. It may be, that by way of exception, this significant date was intentionally recorded.

On the other hand, there are many things, which favor an entirely different interpretation of these hieroglyphs. Thus I am of the opinion that the ritual year of 364 days with its four Bacab periods of 91 days each is referred to here, as we have already found it referred to on pages 31a-32a and on page 45a, and shall find it again on pages 65-69 and 71-73. In that case the single groups would be separated from one another by one Maya week = 13 days.

I will now arrange the sixty-nine groups in the following order (the reason for which will become clear directly):—

I	4	11	18	25	32	39	46	53	60	67
II	5	12	19	26	33	40	47	54	61	68
III	6	13	20	27	34	41	48	55	62	69
IV	7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63	1
V	8	15	22	29	36	43	50	57	64	2
VI	9	16	23	30	37	44	51	58	65	3
VII	10	17	24	31	38	45	52	59	66	.

The groups in a horizontal row are separated from one another by 7 or a multiple of 7. If now a hieroglyph is repeated in those places, which are in the same horizontal row, then this is a confirmation of the supposition that Bacab periods are meant to be represented here. Hence I will examine each row in turn. These rows extend over the long period of 69 × 13 days probably merely for the purpose of filling up the space.