·    Variants (2):

o Top: always (the reduced variant of) “TPOPG”.

§  For more information, see “TPOPG” elsewhere in the CMGG.

o Bottom:

§ A. Abstract variant of PIK/PIH (two KAWAK’s).

·      Optionally, three small dots at the bottom:

o    It’s shown as a blue dot ● in the transliteration.

o    I believe that this element is pure decoration and doesn’t contribute to the reading of the text (IC.p16.pdfp20.#6.1, PAL TI WT C12, PAL TI WT F11).

o    It’s never present in the representational/head variant.

§ B: Representational/head variant of PIK/PIH (bird-head with hand-jaw).

·      The three small dots at the bottom, present in the abstract variant, is never present in the representational/head variant.

·      This (to me) further suggests that it’s pure decoration and doesn’t contribute to the reading of the text.

·    This is the 6th unit in the LC and one calendar unit above the PIK/PIH, i.e., it consists of 20 PIK’s/PIH’s. It’s known that this calendar unit is not pronounced piktun – that is just a name used by epigraphers for convenience. It’s reasonably clear that it isn’t an independent logogram but is instead a compound of (the reduced variant of) “TPOPG” with PIK/PIH. The structure of the three higher units (piktun, kalabtun, and kinchiltun) – all with PIK/PIH at the bottom further support this. See “TPOPG” elsewhere in the CMGG.

·    What distinguishes piktun from pik is the (reduced variant of) “TPOPG” at the top.

o In this context (above the PIK/PIH), it resembles the reduced variant of to. However, it is not to. Instead, it’s a left and right feeler or flames, with a single dot protector.

§ In contrast, each of the feelers of to generally has its own protector – even if there is sometimes a single, overarching protector for the protectors themselves.

§ Furthermore, the feelers of to are very similar to one another – just a single vertical part and a round curl (a rounded L-shape) – and they either face in the same direction or are mirror images. In contrast, the “flames” or “leaves” of the element at the top of piktun are different from one another, with the left scroll “curled in” and the right scroll more of a “wave” – more like the scrolls of K’AHK’ and with a single protector for the whole element. K&L.p61.#4.1 even shows a variant with a small shrub.

o This was assigned the code T42 by Thompson.

§ T42 corresponds to MHD.1G8.1&4 and Bonn’s 0042bt (i.e., the reduced variant of the glyph) but not to MHD.1G8.2&3 and Bonn’s 0042bv (i.e., the full variant of the glyph).

§ Both MHD and Bonn do not assign a reading to this glyph.

§ See T42/MHD.1G8/0042bt/0042bv in the Concordance for more information. Note that MHD.1G8.1 has three “tongues of flame” instead of the more usual two.

§ See “TPOPG” elsewhere in the CMGG for more information.

·    Boot-THHiCMHW.p23.pdfp23.para4 (in reference to the head variant of "piktuun”): This is the celamorphic [head] variant of the calendrical period piktuun (or «pictun») in the Initial Series (Thompson 1950: Figure 27, Nos. 1-2; compare to Thompson 1950: Figure 26, Nos. 8-14); its original Classic Maya name is unknown, as the superfix T42 remains without a decipherment.