YEAR. 



.11 tlieve is ftill an excefs of one liour, iwcnly minutes, in 

 L ur centuries, which, in feventy-two centuries, amount to 

 a whole day. 



The Gregorian year is now ufed i(i moll countries in 

 Europe. From the difference between this and the Julian 

 year arifes the diftindlion of the old or Julian, and new or 

 Gregorian Style ; which fee. 



Year, Egyptian, called alfo the yiar of Nabonajfar, on 

 account of the epocha of Nabonaffar, is the folar year of 

 ^6y days, divided into twelve months, of thirty days each, 

 Lpclides five intercalary days, added at the end. 



The names, &c. of the months are as follow : i. Thoth. 

 2. Paophi. 3. Athyr. 4. Chojac. 5. Tybi. 6. Mccheir. 

 7. Phamenoth. 8. Pharmuthi. 9. Pachon. lo. Pauni. 

 I I. Epiphi. 12. Mefori ; befide the r'uspai ETrxyo^uevai. 



Hence, as the Egj'ptian year in every four years lofes a 

 whole day of the Julian year, becaufe it neglefts the fix 

 hours, which make a leap-day once in four years, its be- 

 ginning, in the fpace of 1460 years, runs through every 

 part of the JuHan year ; wiiich fpace elapfed, they meet 

 again ; and, therefore, it is juftly called the erratic year. 

 And becaufe it returns to the fame day of the Julian year 

 after 1460 Julian years, this circle is called the Sothic 

 period. See Canicular Tear. 



This year is ufed by Ptolemy, in his Almageft ; fo that 

 the knowledge of it is of great ufe in aftronomy, for com- 

 paring the ancient obfervations with the modern. 



This defultory form was applied by the Egyptians to 

 civil ufes, till Antony and Cleopatra were defeated ; and 

 the mathematicians and aftrononiers ufed it till the time of 

 Ptolemy. 



The ancient Egyptians, we are told by Diodorus Siculus 

 ( lib. i. ) , Plutarch ( in the Life of Numa ) , and Pliny ( lib. vii. 

 c.48.), meafured their years by the courfe of themoon. At 

 firlr, they were only one month, then three, then four, like 

 that of the Arcadians ; and then fix, like that of the people 

 of Acarnania. Thofe authors add, that it is on this account 

 they reckon fuch a vaft number of years from the beginning 

 of the world ; and that, in the hillory of their kings, we 

 meet with fome who lived icoo or 1200 years. 



But Herodotus is fiient on this point : he only fays, that 

 the Egyptian year confided of twelve months, as we have 

 above reprefented it. Befides, we learn from Scripture, 

 that from the times of the flood, the year was compofed 

 of twelve months ;• Cham, confequently, and his fon Mif- 

 raim, the founder of the Egyptian monarchy, muH have 

 had that cuftom ; and it is no way probable his defcendants 

 fhould alter it. Add, that Plutarch fpeaks of it with 

 great uncertainty, and as no more than a report ; and Diod. 

 Siculus, as only a conjefture of authors whom he does not 

 name ; and who, in all probability, might have framed this 

 hypothefis to reconcile the Egyptian chronology to that of 

 fome other nations. 



F. Kircher, however, maintains, that befides the folar 

 year, there were fome of the nomes or cantons of Egypt 

 which ufed a lunar one ; and that in the remoieft ages there 

 were fome who took a revolution of the moon, that is, a 

 month for a year ; and others, who finding the year too 

 fliort, made it two months, others three, and others four, 

 &c. (Oedip. Egypt, torn. ii. p. 2?2.) A late author ob- 

 ferves, that Varro has afBrmed of all nations, what we have 

 here quoted of the Egyptians ; and adds, that Laftantius 

 takes him to tadc on that fubjeft. We do not know in 

 what places of Varro, or Laftantius, he has feen this : all 

 we can fay is, that Laftantius (Divin. Inft. lib. lii. c. 13), 

 where he gives Varro's opinion, only reprefents him as 

 fpeaking of the Egyptians. However, St. Auguftine 



(De Civit. Dei, lib. xv. c. 14. ) fhews, that the years of the 

 patriarchs mentioned in Scripture arc hke ours, and not 

 one of ours equal to ten of theirs, as, it appears, had been 

 the opinion of fome people. 



Upon the Egyptians being fubdued by the Romans, they 

 received the Julian year, though with fome alteration ; for 

 they ftill retained their ancient months, with the five B^tfKi 

 (Trayo^Evuti, and, every fourth year, intercalated another day 

 between the 28th and 29th of Augull. Add, that the 

 beginning of their year, or the firlt day of the month 

 Thoth, anfwered to the 29th of Augull of the Julian year, 

 or to the 30th if it happened to be leap-year. 



This year, thus reformed, and called the fixed Egyptian 

 year, was called the anniis AHiacus, as being inftituted foon 

 after the battle of Aftium. 



Year, Ancient Greek, was lunar, confifting of 12 months, 

 which, at firft, had 30 days a-piece, then alternately 30 and 

 29 days, computed from the firll appearance of the new 

 moon ; with the addition of an embolifmic month of 30 

 days, every 3d, 5th, 8th, nth, 14th, 16th, and 19th year* 

 of a cycle of 19 years ; in order to keep the new and full 

 moons to the fame terms or feafons of the year. With this 

 correftion, though erroneous, it fubfifted until the time of 

 Herodotus and Hippocrates. Solon attempted the re- 

 formation of the calendar by the introduftion of the com- 

 plete and defeftive months; /. e. months of 30 and of 29 

 days ; for two lunations made 59 days, nearly. Thus 

 amended the year became lunar, and was adopted at 

 Athens ; but in other ftates of Greece the ancient form was 

 retained. 



Their year commenced with the new moon, the full moon 

 of which comes nest after the fummer folftice. The 

 order, &c. of their months was thus : I. 'ExaTo/.iS'afMy, con- 

 taining 29 days. 2. M>lT7-7ElT»jiV, 30. 3* Borid(;OjUii.'y, 29. 

 4. MaifiZPCTfljituv, 30. 5* rTuavsitiKi', 29. 6. ritjo-fijfaiy, 30. 

 7. Txjj.ri\iuy, 29. 8'. AvSsrnjiuv, 30. 9. E^»?ii-,fi'oAia'y, 30. 



10. Mavu;^iw», 30. II. Qx^yrXi^s, '29. 12. SitlfO^opiiv, 30. 

 The Macedonians had other names for their months ; fo 



had the Syro-Macedonians, Smyrnaeans, Tyrians ; fo alfo 

 the Cyprians, Paphians ; and fo the Bithynians, &c. 



Year, Ancient Macedonian, is a lunar year, only differing 

 from the Attic, in the names and order of the months ; 

 the firft Macedonian month agreeing with the Attic Ms- 

 mafterion : as the Macedonian year commenced not at the 

 fummer folftice, but at the autumnal equinox. The months 

 ftandthus: l. Aw?, 30 days. 2. AtAAohoi, 29. 3. AuJdvkio?, 

 30. 4. ITtfiTlo?, 29. 5. Aurpo;, 30. 6. H»j9ixof, 29. 7. 

 ApTf^/iaioc, 30. 8. .idio-iof, 29. 9. n«»Ejuo5, 30. 10. Ai'O;-. 



11. Vo^Xiouv, 30. 12. 'TTEpospETaie;. 



Year, Modern Macedcmian, is a folar year, whofe be- 

 ginning is fixed for the iirll of January of the Julian year, 

 with which it perfeftly agrees. 



This year was particularly called the Attic year ; and the 

 intercalary month, after Poiideon, was called rtwH^si* j?, or 

 latter Pojideon. 



Year, Ancient Jenmjb, is a lunar year, confifting, com- 

 monly, of eleven months, which alternately contain 30 and 

 29 days. 



It was made to agree with the folar year, either by the 

 adding of II', and fometimes 12 days, at the end of the 

 year, or by an embolifmic month. 



Tradition reports, that Abraham preferved in his family, 

 and tranfmitted to pofterity, the Chaldaan form of the 

 year, which originally confilled of 360 days (compare 

 Dan. vii. 25. xii. 7. with Rev. xii. to xiv. xi. 2, 3.}, and re- 

 mained without any correftion until the date of the Na- 

 bonaffarean era. If any intercalation was ufed by the Jews^ 



Mofes 



