CHRONOLOGY. 
53° 
day of the Julian year, its beginning runs through every 
part of the Julian year in the fpace of 1460 years; after 
which, they meet again ; for which reafon it is called the 
erratic year. And becaufe this return to the fame day of 
the Julian year is performed in the fpace of 1460 Julian 
years, this cycle is called the Sothic period. This year 
was applied by the Egyptians to civil ufes, till Anthony 
aijid Cleopatra were defeated; but the mathematicians 
and aftronomers ufed it till the time of Ptolomv, who 
made ufe of it in his Almageft 5 fo that the knowledge 
of it is of great ufe in aftronomy, for Comparing the an¬ 
cient obfervations with the modern. The ancient Egyp¬ 
tians, we are told by Diodorus Siculus, (Plutarch, lib. 1. 
in the life of Nurna; and Pliny, lib. 7. cap. 48.) meafured 
their years by'the cpurfe of the moon. At firft they were 
only one month, then three, then four, like that of the 
Arcadians ; and then fix, like that of the people of Acar- 
xiania. Thofe authors add, that ft is on this account that 
they reckon fueli a vaft number of years from the begin¬ 
ning of the world ; and that in the hiftory of their kings, 
we meet with fome who lived 1000 years, or 1200 years. 
The fame thing is maintained by Kircher, (CEdip. Egypt, 
tom. 2. p.252.) And a late author obferves, that Varro 
has affirmed the fame of all nations, that has been quoted 
of the Egyptians. By this means many account for the 
great ages of the ancient patriarchs ; expounding the 
gradual decreafe in their ages, by the fucceffive increafe 
of the number of months in their years. Upon the Egyp¬ 
tians being fubdued by the Romans, they received the 
Julian year, though with fome alteration; for they ftill 
retained their ancient months, with the five additional 
days, and every fourth year they intercalated another 
day, for the fix hours, at the end of the year, or between 
the 28th and 29th of Auguft. Alfo, the beginning of 
their year, or the firft day of the month Tho'ch, anfwered 
to the 29th of Auguft of the Julian year, or to the 30th 
if it happened to be leap-year. 
The ancient Greek year was a lunar year, confiding of 
twelve months, which at firft had each thirty days, then 
alternately twenty-nine and thirty days, computed from 
the firft .appearance of the new moon ; with the addition 
of an embolifmic month of thirty days, every third, fifth, 
eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, fixteenth, and nineteenth, 
year of a cycle of nineteen years ; in order to keep the 
new and full moons to the fame terms or feafons of the 
year. Their year commenced with that new moon which 
was neareft to the fummer folftice. And the order of the 
months, with the number of their days, were as follow: 
1. HLy.ot.TOy.Qci.iav, of twenty-nine days; 2. ’MYiraysiTviav, 
thirty; 3. Bon^pofiiwn, twenty-nine; 4. Mociy.ccy.npuo*, thir¬ 
ty; 5. TIvocvz-^mv, twenty-nine; 6. Hob-sihav, thirty; 7. 
TajxijAiwv, twenty-nine ; 8. Avfhs-ypnov, thirty ; 9. EAaip'/?- 
€qMuv, twenty-nine; 10. Mnvvp^nct, thirty; 11. 
twenty-nine; 12. SHtpo(popiw», thirty. But many of the 
Greek nations had other names for their months. 
The ancient JeyuiJh year is a lunar year, ufually con¬ 
fifting of eleven months, containing alternately thirty and 
twenty-nine days ; and it was made to agree with the 
Polar year, by adding eleven, and fometimes twelve, days, 
at the end of the year, or by an embolifmic month. 
The order and quantities of the months were as follow : 
1. Nifan, or Abib, thirty days; 2. Jiar, or Zius, twenty- 
nine; 3. Siban, or Sievan, thirty; 4. Thamuz, or Ta- 
muz, twenty-nine j 5. Ab, thirty; 6. Elul, twenty-nine; 
7. Tifri, or Ethamm, thirty; 8. Marchefvam, or Bui, 
twenty-nine; 9. Cifleu, thirty ; 10. Tebeth, twenty-nine; 
ir. Sabat, or Schebeth, thirty; 12. Adar, thirty in the 
embolifmic year, but twenty-nine in the common year. 
In the defective year, Cifleu was only twenty-nine days ; 
and in the redundant year, Marchefvam was thirty. The 
modern Je-wiJb year isdikewile lunar, confifting of twelve 
months in common years, but of thirteen in embolifmic 
years ; which, in a cycle of nineteen years, are the third, 
iixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, feventeenth, and nine¬ 
teenth. Its beginning is fixed to the new moon next af¬ 
ter the autumnal equinox. The names and order of the 
months, with the number of the days, are as follows. 
1. Tifri, thirty days,; 2. Marchefvan, twenty-nine; 3. 
Cifleu, thirty; 4. Tebeth, twenty-nine; 5. Schebeth, thir¬ 
ty; 6. Adar, twenty-nine; 7. Veadar, in the embolifmic 
year, thirty ; 8. Nifan, thirty; 9. Uar, twenty-nine; 10. 
Sivan, thirty; 11. Thamuz, twenty-nine; 12. Ab, thirty; 
13. Elul, twenty-nine. 
The Syrian year is a Polar one, having its beginning 
fixed to the beginning of October in the Julian year; 
from which it only differs in the names of the months, 
the quantities being the fame, as follow : 1. Tiftuin, an- 
fwenng to our October, and containing thirty-one days ; 
2. Latter Tifhrin, containing, like November, thirty days; 
3. Canun, thirty-one; 4. Latter Canun, thirty-one; 5. 
Shabat, twenty-eight, or twenty-r.ine in a leap-year; 6. 
Adar, thirty-one; 7. Nifan, thirty; 8. Aiyar, thirty-one; 
9. Haziram, thirty; 10. Thamuz, thirty-one; 11. Ab, 
thirty-one; 12. Elul, thirty. The Perfian year is alfo a 
folarone of 365 days, confifting of twelve months of thirty 
days each, with five intercalary days added at the end. 
The months are as follow: 1. Afrudia meh 2. Ardri 
hafchtmeh; 3. Cardi meh; 4. Thir meh ; 5. Merded 
meh; 6. Schabarir meh ; 7. Mehar meh ; 8. Aben meh ; 
9. Adar meh; 10. Di meh; ii. Behen meh; 12. Affirer 
meh. This year is the fame as the Egyptian Nabonafla- 
rean, and is called the yezdegerdicyear, to diftinguiffi it 
from the fixed lolar year, called the Gelalean year, which 
the Perfians began to ufe in the year 1079, and which 
was formed by an intercalation, made fix or Peven times 
in four years, and then once in every fifth year. 
The Arabic, Mahometan , and Turkijh, year , called alfo 
the year of the Hegira, is a lunar year, equal to 354 d. Sh. 
48 m. and confifts of twelve months, containing alter¬ 
nately thirty and twenty-nine days; though fometimes it 
contains thirteen months, the names, &c. being as follow; 
r. Muharram, of thirty days; 2. Saphar, twenty-nine; 
3. Rabia, thirty; 4. Latter Rabia, twenty-nine; 5. Jo¬ 
rnada, thirty ; 6. Latter Jornada, twenty-nine ; 7. Rajab, 
thirty; S. Shaaban, twenty-nine;. 9. Ramadan, thirty; 
10. Shawal, twenty-nine; 11. Dulkaadah, thirty; 12. Dul- 
lveggia, twenty-nine, but in the'embolifmic year thirty. 
An intercalary day is added every fecond, fifth, feventb, 
tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-firth, 
twenty-fourth, twenty-fsxth, twenty-ninth, in a cycle of 
twenty-nine years. The months commence with the firft 
appearance of the new moons after the conjunftions. 
The Ethiopicyear is a folar year perfectly agreeing with 
the Afliac, except in the names of the months, which 
are, 1. Mafcaratn ; 2. Tykympt; 3. Hydar; 4. Tyflias ; 
5. Tyr; 6. Jacatil;. 7. Magabit; 8. Mijazia ; 9. Ginbat 
10. Syne; 11. Hamel; 12. Hahafe. Intercalary days, five. 
It commences with the Egyptian year, on the 29th of 
Auguft of the Julian year. 
The epadl is the excefs of the Polar month above tha 
lunar Pynodical month; or of the folar year above the 
lunar year of twelve fynodical months 3 or of feveral fo¬ 
lar months above as many fynodical months ; or of feve¬ 
ral Polar years above as many dozen of lynodical months. 
The epaPts then are either annual or menftrual. Men- 
Jirual epafls, are the excefles of the civil calendar month 
above the lunar month. Suppofe, for example, it were 
new moon on the firft day of January; then, fince the 
month of January contains thirty-one days, and the lu¬ 
nar month 29d. 12 h. 44m. 3ft the menftrual epact is 
1 d. nh. 15 m. 57 f. Annual epafts, are the excefles ofi 
the folar year above the lunar. Hence, as the Julian fo¬ 
lar year is 365d. 6 h. o m, of. and the Julian lunar year 
354d. 8h. 48 m. 38 P. the annual epa£t will be iocl. 2i h. 
n m. 22 P. that is, almoft 11 days. Confequently the 
epaft of two years is 22 days ; of three years, 33 days ; 
or rather 3, fince 30 days make an embolifmic or inter¬ 
calary month. Then, adding ftill n, the epaft of four 
years is 14 days ; and fo of the reft, as in the- following 
table, where they do not become 30, or 0 again, till tha 
nineteenth 
