6o

Chapter

First.

* ApudTheodorumGazam demenfibus.

b Apud A-thenieum,

1. 14. p. 639.

* Suidas in

d Herod. 1. 1 .c. 189.190.

® Julian.Or; 4 .

CHRONOLOGY.

XXVI. Simplicius, in his commentary a on the firft of Arif-totle’s Phyftcal Acroafis , telis us, that " fome beginthe yearup-" on the fummer Solftice, as the people of Attica; orupon the" autumnal equinox, as the people of Alia; or in the winter,“ as the Romans ; or about the vernal equinox, as the Arabi an s" and people of Damafcus: and the month began, according to" fome, upon the full moon, or upon the new.” The years ofall thefe nations were therefore luni-folar, and kept to the fourfeafons: and the Roman year began at firft in fpring, as I feemto gather from the names of their months, Quintilis, Sextilis ,September , OSlober , November , December: and the beginningwas afterwards removed to winter. The ancient civil year of theAlfyrians and Babylonians was alfo luni-folar : for this year wasalfo ufed by the Samaritans, who came from feveral parts of theAlfyrian empire; and the Jews who came from Babylon calledthe months of their luni-folar year after the names of the monthsof the Babylonian year ; and Berofus b telis us, that the Baby-lonians celebrated the feaft Sacrea upon the 16th day of themonth Lous, which was a lunar month of the Macedonians,and kept to one and the fame feafon of the year : and the Ara-bians, a nation who peopled Babylon, ufe lunar months to thisday. Suidas c telis us, that the Sarus of the Chaldeans contains222 lunar months, which are eighteen years, confifting each oftwelve lunar months, belides lix intercalary months : and when dCyrus cut the river Gindus into 360 channels, he feems to ha vealluded unto the number of days in the calendar year of theMedes and Perlians : and the emperor Julian e writes, “ For when" all other people, that I may fay it in one word, accommodate" their months to the courfe of the moon; we alone, with the“ Egyptians, meafure the days of the year by the courfe of" the fun,”

XXVII. At length the Egyptians, for the fake of navigation,applied themfelves to obferve the ftars ; and by their heliacal rif-ings and fettings, found the true folar year to be five days longer

§ XXVII.

(*) Herodct. lib. 2. c. 4

( ) Diodoius fays, that the Egyptians of Thebais to the 12 months of 30 days, added fivedays and a qi arter. And Strabo io e fle <51 lava the fame thing. Vide Strab. p. 806 & 816.

than