[92] These intervening glyphs the writer believes, as stated in Chapter II, are those which tell the real story of the inscriptions.
[93] Only two exceptions to this rule have been noted throughout the Maya territory: (1) The Initial Series on the east side of Stela C at Quirigua, and (2) the tablet from the Temple of the Cross at Palenque. It has been explained that both of these Initial Series are counted from the date 4 Ahau 8 Zotz.
[94] In the inscriptions an Initial Series may always be identified by the so-called introducing glyph (see fig. [24]) which invariably precedes it.
[95] Professor Förstemann has pointed out a few cases in the Dresden Codex in which, although the count is backward, the special character indicating the fact is wanting (fig. [64]). (See Bulletin 28, p. 401.)
[96] There are a few cases in which the "backward sign" includes also the numeral in the second position.
[97] In the text wherein this number is found the date 4 Ahau 8 Camhu stands below the lowest term.
[98] It should be noted here that in the u kahlay katunob also, from the Books of Chilan Balam, the count is always forward.
[99] For transcribing the Maya numerical notation into the characters of our own Arabic notation Maya students have adopted the practice of writing the various terms from left to right in a descending series, as the units of our decimal system are written. For example, 4 katuns, 8 tuns, 3 uinals, and 1 kin are written 4.8.3.1; and 9 cycles, 16 katuns, 1 tun, 0 uinal, and 0 kins are written 9.16.1.0.0. According to this method, the highest term in each number is written on the left, the next lower on its right, the next lower on the right of that, and so on down through the units of the first, or lowest, order. This notation is very convenient for transcribing the Maya numbers and will be followed hereafter.
[100] The reason for rejecting all parts of the quotient except the numerator of the fractional part is that this part alone shows the actual number of units which have to be counted either forward or backward, as the count may be, in order to reach the number which exactly uses up or finishes the dividend—the last unit of the number which has to be counted.
[101] The student can prove this point for himself by turning to the tonalamatl wheel in pl. [5]; after selecting any particular day, as 1 Ik for example, proceed to count 260 days from this day as a starting point, in either direction around the wheel. No matter in which direction he has counted, whether beginning with 13 Imix or 2 Akbal, the 260th day will be 1 Ik again.