Long Count
Quick Summary
The Maya Long Count was a system of recording time used by the ancient Maya civilization. It was a continuous count of days from a specific base date, which most historians believe was August 11, 3114 BCE. This system allowed the Maya to accurately track historical events over vast periods. The Long Count was structured using a vigesimal (base-20) system, with units like kin (day), uinal (20 days), tun (360 days), and katun (7,200 days). A full cycle, known as a "Great Cycle," comprised 5,125 years and ended on December 21, 2012 CE according to common correlations.123
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Maya calendar…the Maya instituted the “Long Count,” a continuous marking of time from a base date. Most historians think that 4 Ahau 8 Cumku (most likely August 11, 3114 bce) was the base date used by the Maya for the start of the “Long Count” and the first “Great Cycle,”…
Read More…the Maya instituted the “Long Count,” a continuous marking of time from a base date. Most historians think that 4 Ahau 8 Cumku (most likely August 11, 3114 bce) was the base date used by the Maya for the start of the “Long Count” and the first “Great Cycle,”…
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calendarThe Mayan calendar…the Maya established the “Long Count,” a continuous count of time from a base date, 4 Ahau 8 Cumku, which completed a round of 13 baktuns far in the past. There were several ways in which one could indicate the position of a Calendar Round dated in the Long…
Read More…the Maya established the “Long Count,” a continuous count of time from a base date, 4 Ahau 8 Cumku, which completed a round of 13 baktuns far in the past. There were several ways in which one could indicate the position of a Calendar Round dated in the Long…
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pre-Columbian civilizationsThe Maya calendar and writing systemThe Classic Maya Long Count inscriptions enumerate the cycles that have elapsed since a zero date in 3114 bce. Thus, “9.6.0.0.0,” a katun-ending date, means that nine baktuns and six katuns have elapsed from the zero date to the day 2 Ahau 13 Tzec (May 9, 751 ce).…
Read MoreThe Classic Maya Long Count inscriptions enumerate the cycles that have elapsed since a zero date in 3114 bce. Thus, “9.6.0.0.0,” a katun-ending date, means that nine baktuns and six katuns have elapsed from the zero date to the day 2 Ahau 13 Tzec (May 9, 751 ce).…
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