The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-01-31
us. SAvANTS WIN
CALENDAR ROW
Earliest Date in the New World
History Is August 6,
613 B. c.

'SF
gust 6, 613 B. c., and December 10
$50 B. c., by the present system o
marking time, the Peabody Museum
of Harvard university announced il
making public the final solution o.
the chronology Of Magyar dates.
This solution, made possible by the
studies of DR.. H. J. Shinden Of the
museum, is hailed as a distinct vic
tory for the American school of re
search in the records of the ancient
inhabitants Of Central America, since
it follows the lines of approach laid
down by several scientists of the
United States in c0ntradistinction to
the basic theories Of the German,
French and Spanish savants.
"These positive and perfectly de-
fined points in chronology probably
fell within the working years of one
of the worlds first scientists, the UNI
known mathematical and astronomical
genius who invented the Central Amer
lean calendar and established the
Magyar era" the museums announce
ment says.
Spaniards Destroyed Books.
Actually the numerous dates on
the monuments of the great Magyar
civilization in Yucatan and adjacent
territory are counted from a beginning
day which corresponds to October IA,
1878 B. c., but this beginning day was
reached by putting seven cycles of
144,000 days each for the past of the
world before the historical first day
of the numerical count.
"This historical first day was Au-
gust 6, 613 B. G. At this time a
numerical record of elapsed days vas
begun, and in the years that followed
various astronomical events were put
down as they happened, a procedure
which SOC gave a picture of time
adequate for the perfection Of a cal
endarical machine.
"On the second date December 10,
$50 B. c., the perfected calendar Of
the Mayas was formally inaugurated,
according to an inscription at the
ruined Magyar city of Copan in west
ern Honduras. This perfected calen-
dar functioned without the loss of a
single day for 1000 years only to
break down and pass out of use when
Magyar books were destroyed by the
Spanish inquisition in Yucatan in A.
D. 1851
Discovery of the key to the ancient
calendar Of the Central American In
dams reveals that surprising intellect
ual power existed in the western world
before the coming of Columbus, the re-
port declares, and adds:
Doctor Spinden Solved Mystery.
"The inauguration of the perfected
Mayan calendar on December 10, $50
b. c., means the invention before this
date Of a syni1ul for zero-or compile
ton, according TO the Maya mind-as
well as figures for entire numbers. 1t
means place value notation in the
of numbers.
Nov place value notation was I'M
lnOwn to the Greeks and the Romans,
and it's Introduction into western Eu-
rope was accomplished by the Arabs.
This was the Arabic decimal system
Ipon which modern mathematics de-
pend.
''The Magyar system was arranged
ID a modified base of twenty and there
.ore does not exactly parallel the Ara
bic system. The Inauguration of the
,1ayan calendar at this early time
means that the ~hieroglyphs Of the
.wenty days Of the month, the eight
zen months Of the year, ETC., had al
'eady taken form"
Doctor S%pinden, who Is given credit
or the solution Of a mystery that
scientists for many years,
out a day-for-day correlation
If the Magyar and Gregorian calendars
Ind c~orroborated his findings by using
lates on monuments in ancient cities
iuch as Copan, Tikal and Palenque, in
connection with absolute astronomical
Tables have been formed
Whereby Magyar dates can be trans
erred easily into Christian dates and
ice versa.
Told Farmer What to Do.
1.-THE most dramatic proof Is the dis
overy that a series of monuments at
yOpan deal with an ancient congress
f astronomy in SOB A. d." the report
ays.s 1T appears that in 392 A. D., two
nOnuments were set up on hills on
ither side of the valley of Copan, the
one showing clearly on the
These monuments are between four
nd five miles apart and a person
landing before the eastern one, or at
ONE spot in the city On the line con-
Getting the two monuments, would see
he sun set directly behind the west
IN monument two times in the course
t the year, namely, April 8 and Sep |
omber 2 in the average Gregorian |
ear.
Both of these dates are recorded
t Copan on various monuments and
ley appear prominently at other
ties. They are connected with cal
lIations leading directly to the days
{ the equinoxes and solstices. The
economical congress at Copan cele-