Now to a somewhat complicated but necessary numerical exercise:
Counting from Gb2-34 to the end of side b there are 183 glyphs (half 366). The glyphs in lines a1-a3 sum up to 83, and therefore Ga4-2 will have ordinal number 183 + 83 + 2 = 268 (counted from Gb2-34), maybe a number related to 168. Counting from Gb4-4 to Ga4-2 we have 232 = 8 * 29 glyphs. Gb4-4 (with ordinal number significantly = 36) could measure a full 8 months cycle together with Ga4-2. But such cycles should be measured by 29.5, not by 29. Therefore we presumably should start from Gb4-1, a glyph arriving after a special (negative) 'fire generator':
Gb4-1 evidently initiates a season with sun 'hidden', alluded to by a pau sign in Gb3-30 and clearly stated by the reversed hau tea (Gb4-1). On side b there are 242 glyphs. There are 91 glyphs (the number of days in a quarter) in the first 3 glyph lines, leaving 242 - 91 = 151 glyphs for the 5 following lines. Ga4-2 is glyph number 85 on side a. When we add the glyphs from Gb4-1 up to and including Ga4-2 we reach 151 + 85 = 236 = 8 * 29.5. We recognize 236 as the number of glyphs from Gb1-6 to the end of side b:
Gb1-6 is glyph number 235 counted from the beginning of side a, and the total number of glyphs on G is twice 236 minus 1 = 471 = 16 * 29.5 - 1. The last subtraction is hardly meant to be done. Instead we should count Gb8-30 or Ga1-1 twice, thereby making clear that there is no ending to the cycles of 8 * 29.5 glyphs (= days). Time never stops. |
