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This is the passage from the Temple of the Cross Tablet regarding Ahkal Mo' Nahb' II. It reads, "Seventeen days, 4 months, two years, and two k'atuns from when he was born (U2), then the white headband was tied (T3) by him (U3), [name] [relationship] Ahkal Mo' Nahb' (T5), on 1 Imix 4 Sip." (There is still some controversy about whether the Sak Huun, the white headband of rulership, was tied or held, on, for, or by the ruler.) We can't read the name at T4. Apparently this was the pre-accession name of Ahkal Mo' Nahb', in other words his name before he became king and adopted the name of a previous ruler. On the Palace Tablet and elsewhere, the Late Classic ruler who took the name of the first K'an Joy Chitam, is identified by a combination of his pre-accession and regnal names. Something similar is at work here. But the glyph at U4 can now be read as 'u-mam, a relationship espression meaning "his grandfather/grandson", as discovered by David Stuart. (A complete discussion of this expression by Dr. Stuart is coming soon at Mesoweb.) Thus, the inscription is identifying Ahkal Mo' Nahb' II by his grandfather's name, saying, in effect, "he acceded as king, the grandson of Ahkal Mo' Nahb I". Note that the Calendar Round of Ahkal Mo' Nahb' II's birth is not recorded on the Temple of the Cross Tablet, but the distance number permits us to calculate it. |