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The Decipherment of “Directional Count Glyphs” in Maya Inscriptions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2008

David Stuart
David Stuart
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Box 6050-B, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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Abstract

Two “Directional Count Glyphs” have long been recognized as the indicators of backward and forward chronological reckonings in Maya inscriptions. Their traditional decipherment, following early work by Thompson, is founded upon the reading xok, ‘to count’, for one frequent sign in these glyphs. The present study calls this reading into question by suggesting that all ‘count’ glyphs are read u-ti, spelling the verb ut, ‘come to pass’. This decipherment applies to all known contexts of the glyphs.

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Articles
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Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , Fall 1990 , pp. 213 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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