446 Astronomical and JYautical Collections. 



Egyptian year 

 of Nabonassar. 



316, Phamenoth (VII.) 20-21, (p, 62, B. p. 162, ' H.) The 

 summer solstice, roughly observed by Meton and Euctemon, 

 is recorded as having occurred when Apseudes was arclion of 

 Athens, in the morning of the 21st Phamenoth : from this 

 observation to that of Aristarchus in the 50th year of the first 

 period of Calippus, according to Aristarchus himself, there 

 were 152 years ; and this 50th year was the 44th from the death 

 of Alexander: it was 419 years earlier than that of Ptolemy 

 made in the 463rd year after Alexander : so that from Meton 

 to Ptolemy there were 571 years. Now the 476th of Na- 

 bonassar is called the 52nd from the death of Alexander 

 (p. 252, B.); and the 468th would be the 44th; whence, 

 deducting 152, we have 316; and the correction 76.27\ 

 giving ^ -43ly+94.12d. 



The interval between the vernal equinox and the solstice, as 

 assigned by Hipparehus and Ptolemy, was 94 J^ days : at pre- 

 sent it is 92.9. 



The first year of Calippus must have been about the 419th 

 of Nabonassar. See 547. 



The names of the Archons, mentioned by Ptolemy, are 

 found in their proper places in the Anonymous Catalogue of 

 the Olympiads, not improbably compiled by Africanus, and 

 published in Scaliger's Eusebius. * 



366, Thoth (I) 26—7, (p. 105, B. p. 275, H.) According to 

 Hipparehus, a lunar eclipse was observed at Babylon, of which 

 the middle was apparently 18j^ hours, " correctly" 18j, after 

 the Alexandrian noon of the 26th Thoth. ^ -38ly-92.98d. 



This was in the 6th Athenian month Posideon, near the 

 winter solstice : Phano stratus being archon. 



366, Phamenoth (VII.) 24, (p. 105, B. p. 276, H.) A lunar 

 eclipse observed at Babylon ; the middle at 8h. 15m. Alexan- 

 drian mean time apparently ; but correctly at 7h. 50m. : the 

 whole duration about 3 hours. © -38iy + 84.59<i. 



Phanostratus was still archon : the month being Scirrhopho- 

 rion, which was the 12th of the Athenian year, preceding the 

 summer solstice. 



Both these eclipses are mentioned in the Catalogue of 

 the Olympiads, as having occurred in the 394th Olympic year, 

 which must therefore have commenced about ^ — 382^-1- 94<*, 

 and ended about ^^ -381y + 94^: and, deducting 393, the 

 first Olympic year began ^ — 775y+94<*: so that we may find 

 the equinoctial year by deducting 776 from the Olympic year, 

 and adding 776 to the equinoctial date at midsummer, we 

 have the corresponding Olympic year, which begins about that 

 solstice ; for instance, at the midsummer of 1828, we have the 



