CALENDAR. 



Calendar, PerJIan, k founded on the Perfian a»ra, called 

 " ^ ezdegerd," or " Jezdegerd," which derives its name 

 from the lail king of the race of SafTanians, or cth dynafty 

 that reigned in Perfia. Some fuppofe the ancient Perfian 

 sera to have been eftabliaied by Gcmfhid, one of the Pifh- 

 dadian kings, about Soo B. C. On the day when the fun 

 entered Anes, he is faid to have made his pubhc entry into 

 Perfepohs, which he had juft finifhed, and to have ordained 

 the ^ra to commence from that time, in honour of the lun, 

 and in commemoration of the building of his capital city. He 

 divided the year into 12 months of jo days each ; to the lalt 

 ot which 5 fupplementary days were added. But no atten- 

 tion was bellowed on the odd quarter of a dav, till allrono 

 mcrs, in the reign of Yezdegerd, obferving that'the beginning 

 of the year had moved in a retrograde dirtdion from Aries 

 to 1 ilces, correfted this error, and appointed one month to 

 be inferted at the end of every 120 years, and the intercalaiy 

 month of ;o days reftoied the integrity of the folar year, 

 Z- u" '■^';"™f"°" "f tl"; calendar a new ira was produced, 

 which IS (hll adopted in many parts of Perfia. All, however 

 do not agree in the epocha of its commencement. Some 

 refer the date of it to the beginning of Yezdegerd's leign. 

 which they phu:e on the i6th of June, ,n the luh vear of 



Beigh and Herbelot (Bib. Ontnt.) Others compute from 

 the time of his defeat by the Arabs at Cadefia, A. U 6-6 

 Some few reckon from his death, A. D. 65, or 6^-2, among 

 whom are Alfraganius, Scaliger, &c. The bell modein 

 chronologers have adopted the firil of thefe opinions, which 

 IS molt conformable to the tellmiony of the eallern writers 

 In vindication of which it may be obfervtd, that Yezdeccvd 

 had lived as a private perfon, as his father had always done, 

 till the Perhans, underllanding how jutt a title he had to the 

 kingdom, fet him upon the throne. The Arabs fay, this 

 was done with the confent of their calfph, who therefore re- 

 garded liim as his tributary, reckoning the kingdom of Perfia 

 among the rell of his dominions from th^s time, and confi- 

 dering the fubfequent reduction of that country not as a 



TTf ', v"' 'r "'^'•^/""i''" °f "'at part of his empire 

 which had been fevered from it by a rebel. This is plaiiily 

 the caufe why the commencement of this tera is and ought to 

 be fi^'ed at tl^ acceffion of Yezdegerd. The years of this 

 aera are Naboffarean ; for each year confifts of ,^6< days, or 

 12 months of 30 days each, with the addition Jf c inter- 

 calary days to the month Aban, or to the end of the 

 yt3r» 



Befides this form of the year, Perfian aftonomers ufe the 

 Oelalaeaii year, fo called on account of the title " Gelaled- 

 din, which was conferred on Malekfchah, fultan of Kho- 

 ITI / '"'/''^^' P""«, A. D. 1074, afi-embled the moft 

 celebrated aftronomers of his time, in order to reform the 

 calendar, which he found impeifeft, to afcertain the vernal 

 tqmnox for ailronomical purpofes, and for the regul.-.tion of 

 their folemn fel ival " Neuruz," or new-day, and^o chan " 

 the order of the months, under the idea of reltoring the 



iTfTu ' "i"' ""'^ ^ft-'noniical. He fixed the begin- 

 ning of both on the t4th of March, the feafon of the equi- 



A il ;.-■. 't"*' u' ^"'"■^!"« t° Zacuti, a Jewilh author, 

 hiteic;i °'^; • '^' '""'f^'"" °f the civil y«r, befides five 



™s not o "' ' ''"' '^"^ ' ^f'"«'"'^'> the intercalation 



nearly of .h f '■''"""^'" y^^'^. ^^s of the fame form! and 



tconfift H r '?',.'^"'""'^ "'"'' "^^'""'^^ tropical year ; for 

 « confifted of 36.^ ,>- 45' J3-. F,„^ „,^f i\;Jan r.for- 



agreemcn: among different writers with regard to the feafon, 



and 



