Talk:Maya calendar/Archives/2012/August

5125 solar years

Joe: I'll defer to the experts, but I still think someone should have clarified the section instead of simply reverting my edits. It says now (as it did before),

"In practice, most Maya Long Count inscriptions confine themselves to noting only the first five coefficients in this system (a b'ak'tun-count), since this was more than adequate to express any historical or current date (with an equivalent span of approximately 5125 solar years)."

This is at best confusing, and at worst, wrong. 5125 solar years is about 13 b'ak'tuns, right? That's why 2012 is said to be 13.0.0.0.0. Nowhere in this passage is the particular period named (as in the phrase "19th century") -- and as a consequence, the significance of 5125 (or lack of it) is lost. Any reader coming on this passage for the first time is likely to think that one b'ak'tun is 5125 years, which is incorrect. Read it again, and see if you agree. If you don't agree, please say why. If you do agree, please fix it.Jimbobboy (talk) 03:20, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

I agree. But guys like Dougweller need to be sued for their criminal activity of showing favoritsm to false information 5125 solar years would be 3114bc Gregorian August 12 to 2012AD Gregorian August 12 or 3114bc Dec 21 to 2012ad Dec 21. This is fact not original research. Your labeling it solar years is the false original research. THe count is 5200 tun or 13 baktun being 13 of 400 tun. Go ahead and deleted this, a jpg copy has been made, and a million dollar law suit will proceed the minute it is deleted. 98.144.71.174 (talk) 17:43, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Although 5125 solar years could be equated to 13 baktuns, I am uncomfortable highlighting 13 baktuns. Although in the past it was thought that the highest baktun count was 13, it is now known that the baktun count continued past 13, past 19 baktuns, such that 20 baktuns was 1 piktun. Thus no general term for 13 baktuns exists nor did the Maya think that the world would end at 13.0.0.0.0. On the other hand, the Maya Long Count did begin at 13.0.0.0.0, or more correctly it began at ....13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0, not at 0.0.0.0.0 as New Age astrologers state. Because the Long Count began at 13.0.0.0.0 and it was thought that the highest Long Count was 13.0.0.0.0, the latter was associated with the end of the world. For now, I think it best to remove any reference to 5125 years and to not mention 13.0.0.0.0 in this paragraph. The critical idea in the passage is that multiple baktuns is adequate for most historical purposes. — Joe Kress (talk) 05:15, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

I agree completely! The confusing part is the parenthetical comment "(with an equivalent span of approximately 5125 solar years)" that imputes some particular significance to the 5125-year span without saying what it is. Would someone fix this, please?Jimbobboy (talk) 01:50, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Corrected. — Joe Kress (talk) 10:23, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Perfect!Jimbobboy (talk) 21:49, 8 November 2009 (UTC)