Ancient Macedonian calendar
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The Ancient Macedonian calendar is a lunisolar calendar that was in use in ancient Macedon in the 1st millennium BC. It consisted of 12 synodic lunar months (i.e. 354 days per year), which needed intercalary months to stay in step with the seasons. By the time the calendar was being used across the Hellenistic world, seven total embolimoi (intercalary months) were being added in each 19-year Metonic cycle. The names of the ancient Macedonian Calendar remained in use in Syria even into the Christian era. This is the Calendar used by Josephus, being in fact the Hebrew calendar with Macedonian names.[1] An example of 6th century AD inscriptions from Decapolis, Jordan, bearing the Solar Macedonian calendar, start from the month Audynaeus.[2] The solar type was merged later with the Julian calendar. In Roman Macedonia, both calendars were used. The Roman one is attested in inscriptions with the name Kalandôn gen. καλανδῶν calendae and the Macedonian Hellenikei dat. Ἑλληνικῇ Hellenic.[3] Finally an inscription[4] from Kassandreia of about ca. 306-298 BC bearing a month Ἀθηναιῶν Athenaion suggests that some cities may have their own months even after the 4th century BC Macedonian expansion.
- Δίος (Dios, moon of October)
- Απελλαίος (Apellaios, moon of November, also a Dorian month - Apellaiōn was a Tenian month)
- Αυδυναίος or Αυδναίος (Audunaios or Audnaios, moon of December,Cretan month also)
- Περίτιος (Peritios, moon of January) (and festival of the month; Peritia)
- Δύστρος (Dystros, moon of February)
- Ξανδικός or Ξανθικός (Xandikos or Xanthikos, moon of March) (and festival of the month; Xanthika , purifying the army ,Hesych.)
- Ξανδικός Εμβόλιμος (Xandikos Embolimos, intercalated 6 times over a 19-year cycle)
- Αρτεμίσιος or Αρταμίτιος (Artemisios or Artamitios, moon of April, also a Spartan, Rhodian and Epidaurian month - Artemisiōn was an Ionic month)
- Δαίσιος (Daisios, moon of May)
- Πάνημος or Πάναμος (Panēmos or Panamos, moon of June, also an Epidaurian, Miletian, Samian and Corinthian month)
- Λώιος (Lōios, moon of July - Ομολώιος, Homolōios, was an Aetolian, Beotian and Thessalian month)
- Γορπιαίος (Gorpiaios, moon of August)
- Υπερβερεταίος (Hyperberetaios, moon of September - Hyperberetos was a Cretan month)
- Υπερβερεταίος Εμβόλιμος (Hyperberetaios Embolimos, intercalated once over a 19-year cycle)
[edit] Notes
- Origines kalendariæ Hellenicæ; or, The history of the primitive calendar[7] by Edward Greswell
