CHAP. XIII. THE INTERCALATED YEAR. 373 



order to bring the beginning of the year once more 

 to the winter solstice, as was instituted by Numa, 

 made that year consist of 15 months, whence 

 called the 'year of confusion.' The ensuing years 

 were formed of 365 days ; and every fourth, a day 

 was added, making 3G6. The 27th of August at 

 that time coincided with the 1st of Thoth.* The 

 Egyptian civil Solar year consisted of 365 days, 

 divided into 12 months of 30 days each, at the end 

 of which were added the 5 days called epact t, or 

 intercalated. This civil year was always used by 

 the Egyptians, for the common epochas, and calcu- 

 lations of the people j as the dates of their Kings, 

 ages of men, and the like, t That used by the priests 

 for astronomical purposes was different, and was 

 calculated from the heliacal rising of the Dog-star 

 (Sothis) to that of the ensuing year, and consisted 

 of 365^ days ; that is, every fourth year a day 

 was intercalated, as in the Julian year, making it to 

 consist of 366 days. Hence, as the Egyptian Solar- 

 year, in every four years, loses a day of the Sotliic ; 

 and the 1st of Thoth vague, or Solar Thoth, runs 

 through every part of that year, in the space of 

 1460 Sothic years, before it again coincides with 

 the 1st of Thoth of the Sothic year ; this period is 

 called ' the Sothic period.' The intercalated year 

 was afterwards adopted by the Copt inhabitants of 

 Egypt, as their common civil year, and the Solar 



* " The Caniculii regularly rises in Eiiyi't on the 1st of Thoth." Tiiis 

 correspoiuled to the 2Ut\\ of July in the year u. c. 1322, which was tiie 

 commencement of the Canicular period. Censor, de Die Natali. 



•j- Vide su})r(t, p. 310. 



"j: Censor, de Die Natali. i'idc Cory, \).'i23. 



B B 3 



