December 21, 2012

[Kalmah]

My doomsday device will be finished in 2012; what a coincidence.
Now if I could only find some plutonium.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim

Originally posted by: SphinxnihpS

Originally posted by: dmw16
Hopefully it will be the end of hearing idiots talk about the world ending because the Myian calendar ends that day.

A few things.
1. Their calendar does not end of that date.
2. They thought weather was caused by the gods - how come we assume they are smart enough to predict the end of the world?

A couple things.
1. Their calendar does end on that date.
2. Their calendar appears to be based on cycles that take tens of thousands of years. Stuff they could not have known without watching the stars and recording their movements for hundreds of years.
3. A few is three or more.

The end of that calendar cycle to be more specific. The new cycle begins on that date also.

I have yet to see any recorded evidence that suggests the Mayan long count calendar will continue into the 14th Baktun (13.0.0.0.0).

Just because it is a standard system, doesn't mean it continues forever. You could say our Gregorian calendar goes to 9000 and beyond... sure, you do the work and plot it out far enough, you'll get an accurate date. BUT, there is no recorded calendar plotted out that far, at least as far as I know. Who knows what people these days do.

However, I haven't seen any strong evidence, other than word of mouth, that the Long Count calendar was actually written and extended into the 14th Baktun and beyond. All records that I have seen indicate the Mayans only actually wrote down through the completion of the 13th, meaning 12.19.19.17.19. (it's a Base 20 system, aside from the second to last number, because there are 18 of them in the third number, aka 0.0.1.0.0 is one day past 0.0.0.17.19)

But actually... hmmm come to think of it, I'm now thinking the Mayans likely didn't even extend the calendar that far either, I mean... why? Why write a calendar thousands of year out...

Officially it is unknown what exact date the turn is on, as there are two methods to approaching the interpretation of Long Count to Gregorian dates. One places it on the 21st, and I believe another places it on the 23rd (of December, 2012).

Each Baktun is roughly 350 years, btw. It might be around 370, or 330, so I'm going in the middle, because I don't feel like looking it up yet again. Suffice it to say, it's somewhere between 300 and 400 years, though I believe it's toward the larger of the numbers.

i.e. that is the number of years it takes to go from 12.0.0.0.0 to 13.0.0.0.0

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
If a powerful round number like 2000 couldn't kill us clearly a measily oddball number like 2012 couldn't.

ah... but there is the turning to 13.0.0.0.0
You know how unlucky the 13th is!

 

[destrekor]

We may not all die... but there may be Great Change as the world enters a new period.

All this 2012 talk recently, and now this topic... has spurred me to dig a little yet again.

First, the Mayans believed there was time prior to the current cycle. So, one can imagine they fully believed there cycle wasn't the only cycle, and that there would probably be another cycle.
Cannot tell so far if they thought these cycles lasted all the way to 19.19.19.17.19 and started over, with some unknown representation at X.0.0.0.0.0...
one school of thought states the last cycle ended at 12.19.19.17.19, part of the Creation myths of the Maya people, revolving around the changing of the world.

Other than the doomsday folk, the most common belief is simply the world enters a new period, humans not really being a concern but meaning that it could be good or bad for us, simply different.


During the final year of the 12th Baktun (1618), Europe saw the 30 Years War break out.
Some say that war was what helped push the religious differences in Europe to more violence.

Around the time of 0.0.0.0.0 of the current cycle, roughly 3114BCE, the construction of Stonehenge began.

hmm this is fun. If I had the time I'd try and find more

WE GONNA DIE!!