1990/01/01 by Jacques B. M. Guy · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical Astronomy and Related Studies #Ancient Egypt and Archaeology #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Meaning (existential) #Full moon #Certainty #Period (music) #New moon #History #Astrobiology #Computer science #Art #Physics #Astronomy #Philosophy #Aesthetics #Epistemology
paper · doi:10.3406/jso.1990.2882
openalex publication_date 1990/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/10
SUMMARY Tablet Mamari contains the only text the general meaning of which is known beyond reasonable doubt : a lunar calendar identified by Barthel (1958 243). Having discovered it Barthel did not to analyse it further than proposing specific for its component glyphs. Krupa (1971) " to interpret it as a coherent poetical text ". This calendar is examined and matched to night lists recorded by Englert, Métraux and Thomson, and to the times of the risings and settings the moon, its apparent size, its phases, motion distance from the earth during the period by Thomson's observations. Some conclusions drawn with a high level of certainty which to somewhat speculative but nevertheless interpretations of some glyphs. Strong evidence adduced that the calendar contains not only a count, but prescriptions for observing and, presumably, recording the appearance of the moon at times during the month so as to keep the night accurate and to predict when a particular required 29 or 30 days and where extra days were be inserted : before the full moon, before the moon, or both before the full moon and before new moon.