Lunar calendar (Babylonia)
The Babylonian lunar calendar was a theoretical lunar calendar model designed by Babylonian astronomers that consisted of averaged synodic lunar months .
Basics
The Babylonian lunar calendar served as a uniform time system for recording and predicting lunar and planetary events. It therefore had the character of an astronomical forecast calendar , the forecasts of which corresponded to the records of events that actually occurred in the Babylonian calendar .
The Babylonians divided the middle synodic month into 30 planetary ephemeris units, which were also used for the great circle calculation as a time value . The time units determined in this way did not have a special name, but were given the simple designation "days", which could deviate by a maximum of one day from the real calendar entries in the Babylonian calendar. The calculation basis of the Babylonian lunar day is identical to the Indian Tithi .
New light days always fell on the 1st or 30th day in the Babylonian lunar calendar, whereby the following principle applied: If the new light can be observed on the 30th day, this day is the 1st day of the following month. The two leap months Addaru II and Ululu II were based on the same system.
Month names
The Babylonian names of the lunar and calendar months, which come from the ancient Babylonian period (2000–1600 BC), were derived from the older calendar system from Nippur .
| Month names in different epochs and regions | ||||
| Month no. | Babylonian calendar | Nippur calendar | Ur-III calendar | Lagaš calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nisannu (bar) | Bara-zag-gar-ra | Maš-du-ku | Gan-maš |
| 2 | Ajaru (gu 4 ) | Ezen- gu 4 -si-su | Šeš-da-ku | Gu 4 -du-bi-sar-sar |
| 3 | Simanu (sig 4 ) | Sig 4 -ga | U 5 -bi-ku | Ezen- d Li 9 -si 4 |
| 4th | Du'uzu (šu) | Šu-numun | Ki-sig- d Nin-a-zu | Šu-numun |
| 5 | Abu (izi) | NE-NE-gar-ra | Ezen- d Nin-a-zu | Munu x - (DIM 4 ) -cu |
| 6th | Ululu (kin) | Child- d Inanna | A-ki-ti | Ezen d Dumu-zi |
| 7th | Tašritu (du 6 ) | You 6 -ku | Ezen- d Sul-gi | Ezen- d Sul-gi |
| 8th | Araḫsamna (apin) | Apin-du 8 -a | Šu-eš-ša | Ezen- d Ba-ba 6 |
| 9 | Kislimu (gan) | Gan-gan-e | Ezen-maḫ | Mu-šu-you 7 |
| 10 | Tebetu (from) | Ab-e | Ezen-an-na | Amar-aa-si |
| 11 | Sabatu (ziz) | Ziz-a | Ezen-me-ki-gal | Še-gur 10 -ku 5 |
| 12 | Addaru (še) | Še-gur 10 -ku 5 | Še-gur 10 -ku 5 | E-il-la |
| S. |
Addaru II (DIR, dirig) Ululu II (KIN-2-KAM, 2-KAM) |
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See also
literature
- Lis Brack-Bernsen: On the emergence of the Babylonian moon theory - observation and theoretical calculation of moon phases . Steiner, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-515-07089-3 .
- Hermann Hunger : Calendar . In: Dietz-Otto Edzard u. a .: Real Lexicon of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archeology . Volume 5. de Gruyter, Berlin 1980, ISBN 3-1100-7192-4 , pp. 297-303.
- Jean Meeus : Astronomical Algorithms - Applications for Ephemeris Tool 4,5 . 2nd Edition. Barth, Leipzig 2000, ISBN 3-335-00400-0 .
- Jean Meeus: Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets . 2nd Edition. Willmann-Bell, Richmond 1995, ISBN 0-943396-02-6 .
- Otto Neugebauer : A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy . Springer, Berlin 1975 (reprint 2006, ISBN 3-540-06995-X ).
- Otto Neugebauer: The exact sciences in antiquity . 2nd edition. Brown University Press, Providence RI 1957, (Also: Unabridged, slightly corrected reprint. Dover Publications, New York NY 2004, ISBN 0-486-22332-9 , ( Dover classics of science and mathematics )).
- Anton Pannekoek : Calculation of dates in the Babylonian tables of planets - Proceedings XIX - . Akadedemie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1916, pp. 684–703.
- Francis Richard Stephenson : Historical Eclipses and Earth's rotation . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1997, ISBN 0-521-46194-4