Ancient Macedonian Calendar

[The Blood of Dorus]

I posted this at Maknews forum ( http://www.maknews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1300 ) and got the usual busted-ass response from them - not one of them however has a single logical argument as to why the Macedonian calendar is such as in the post below:

It is interesting that Josephus throughout The “Antiquities” relates the Hebrew months with the Macedonian months – below are a few examples:

Antiquities of the Jews - Book I
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-1.htm
CHAPTER 3.3
in the second month, (14) called by the Macedonians Dius, but by the Hebrews Marchesuan

Antiquities of the Jews - Book II
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-2.htm
CHAPTER 14.6
and they should prepare themselves on the tenth day of the month Xanthicus, against the fourteenth, (which month is called by the Egyptians Pharmuth, Nisan by the Hebrews; but the Macedonians call it Xanthicus,)

Antiquities of the Jews - Book III
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-3.htm
CHAPTER 10.2
But on the seventh month, which the Macedonians call Hyperberetaeus

Antiquities of the Jews - Book IV
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-4.htm
CHAPTER 4.7
He died on the first day of that lunar month which is called by the Athenians Hecatombaeon, by the Macedonians Lous, but by the Hebrews Abba

CHAPTER 8.49
and he died on the last month of the year, which is called by the Macedonians Dystrus, but by us Adar, on the first day of the month.

Antiquities of the Jews - Book VIII
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-8.htm
CHAPTER 3.1
SOLOMON began to build the temple in the fourth year of his reign, on the second month, which the Macedonians call Artemisius, and the Hebrews Jur

Antiquities of the Jews - Book XI
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-11.htm
CHAPTER 5.4
on the twentieth day of the ninth month, which, according to the Hebrews, is called Tebeth, and according to the Macedonians, Apelleius.

Based on the works of ancient authors such as Josephus, a list of Macedonian months has been reconstructed.

The Ancient Macedonian calendar.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ancient...ndar?method=22 , http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Measurements2.htm and http://www.crystalinks.com/calendars3.html


The Ancient Macedonian calendar is the 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, 7 total embolimoi (intercalary months) were being added in each 19-year Metonic cycle.

· Δίος (Dios, moon of October)
· Απελλαίος (Apellaios, moon of November, also a Dorian month - Apellaiōn was a Tenian month)
· Αυδναίος or Αυδηναίος (Audnaios or Audēnaios, moon of December)
· Περίτιος (Peritios, moon of January)
· Δύστρος (Dystros, moon of February)
· Ξανδικός or Ξανθικός (Xandikos or Xanthikos, moon of March)
· 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, Boeotian 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)

We know that the Attic (Athenian) dialect, an Ionic dialect which developed into the Koine, was the Greek dialect which was adopted by the Macedonians during the Hellenistic period. However, the Macedonian calendar bears no relation to the Attic (Athenian) calendar, and therefore cannot be said to have been adopted by the Macedonians in the same way as they adopted the Attic dialect.

Compare the Attic (i.e. Athenian) calendar: ( http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?...tic%20calendar , http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Measurements2.htm , http://www.winterscapes.com/kharis/calendar.htm and http://www.crystalinks.com/calendars3.html ):


The Attic calendar is the calendar that was in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian polis[...] Because of the relative wealth of evidence from Athens, of all the Hellenic calendars it is the best understood[...] The Attic calendar was an exclusively local phenomenon, used to regulate the internal affairs of the Athenians and with little relevance to the outside world. For example, just across the border in Boeotia not only did the months have different names, but the year began in mid-winter[…] The divide between these neighbouring calendars perhaps reflected the traditional hostility between the two communities. Had the Boeotians been speakers of an Ionic dialect, like that spoken in Athens, there would have been overlap in the names of months. An example of this is the Ionian island of Delos, where the calendar shared four out of twelve month names with Athens, but not in the same places in the year.

List of months:

· Hekatombaion - June/July
· Metageitnion - July/August
· Boedromion - August/September
· Pyanepsion - September/October
· Maimakterion - October/November
· Poseideon - November/December
· Gemelion - December/January
· Anthesterion - January/February
· Elaphebolion - February/March
· Mounichion - March/April
· Thargelion - April/May
· Skirophorion - May/June

So, in summary, the Macedonian months were Dios, Apellaios, Audnaios, Peritios, Dystros, Xanthikos, Artemisios, Daisios, Panemos, Loios, Gorpiaios, and Hyperberetaios. These months have Greek roots yet they bear no resembalence to the months of the Attic calendar.

Now compare the months in the Macedonian calendar with the Spartan and Argive calendars:

Spartan calendar ( http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Measurements2.htm ):

· January - ?
· February - Eleusinios
· March - Gerastios
· April – Artemisios
· May - Delhinios
· June - Fliasios
· July - Hekatombeus
· August - Karneios
· September - Panamos
· October - Herasios
· November – Apellaios
· December – Diosthios

We also know of nine of the months in the Argive calendar ( http://www.geocities.com/christopher...oman/217bc.htm ):

· Panemos
· Argyeos
· Karneios
· Hermaios
· Appelaios
· Teleos
· Arneios
· Gamos
· Amyklaios

The names of the Macedonian months Apellaios, Artemisios and Panemos are the same months as those in the Spartan calendar. Moreover, the months Artemisios and Panemos are also found in the Argive calendar.

So in summary:

· The Macedonian month Apellaios is also a Spartan and Argive month.
· The Macedonian month Panemos is also a Corinthian and Epidaurian month. It is also a Spartan and Argive month.
· The Macedonian month Hyperberetaios is also a Cretan month.
· The Macedonian month Artemisios is also a Spartan, Rhodian and Epidaurian month.

(see: http://www.answers.com/topic/ancient...ndar?method=22 and http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Measurements2.htm )

We know that Spartans, Corinthians, Cretans, Epidaurians, Rhodians and Argives are of Dorian stock.

Therefore, apart from the month Loios which is also a Thessalian (Aeolic) month, the Macedonian months are unique except for the four months mentioned above which are also found in the calendars of other Doric peoples.

So how do we explain that the names of three Macedonian months are the same as the three Spartan ones?

Sparta lies at the head of the Peloponnese, far away from Macedonia, in southern Greece. Ancient Macedonians and Spartans had no contacts but nevertheless they both shared three month's names. How come?

Both Macedonians and Spartans are, as stated by Herodotus, of Dorian origin. Not only were Macedonia and Sparta both kingdoms and warlike people but they had the same Dorian origin.

Moreover there are also Macedonian months whose names are shared with the calendars of Argos, Corinth, Epidaurus, Crete and Rhodes. Argives, Corinthians, Cretans, Epidaurians and Rhodians are once again of Dorian stock.

The link? A common ancestry amongst these Dorian peoples.

[Ptolemy]

Great work Blood of Dorus. I have done some researches about the ancient Macedonian calendar and i will post them in your thread shortly.

[admin]

Beautiful!

[Ptolemy]

Some more ancient Calendars i found in greek.

ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΕΣ:

΄Ι:Περίττιος, Φ:Δύστρος, Μ:Ξαντικός, ΄Α:΄Αρτεμίσιος, Μ:Δαίσιος, ΄Ι:Πάνημος,΄Ι:Λώος, Α:Γορπιαίος,Σ: ΄Υπερβερεταίος, ΄Ο:Δίος, Ν:΄Απελλαίος,Δ: Αύδηναίος.

ΔΕΛΦΟΙ:




΄Ι:Δαδιφόριος,Φ:Ποιτρόπιος,Μ:Βύσιος.

Α:΄Αρτεμίσιος-Μ:΄Ηράκλειος,-΄Ι:Βοαθόος-

΄Ι:΄Ιλαίος-Α:Θεοξένιος-Σ:Βουκάτιος-

΄Ο:΄Ηραίος-Ν:΄Απελλαίος-Δ:Διονύσιος.



ΒΟΙΩΤΟΙ:




΄Ι:Δαδιφόριος-Φ:΄Ελευσίνιος-Μ:Γεράστιος-

΄Α:΄Αρτεμίσιος-Μ:Δελφίνιος-΄Ι:Φλιάσιος-΄Ι:΄Εκατομβεύς-

Α:Καρνείος-Σ:Πάνημος-΄Ο:΄Ηράσιος-

Ν:΄Απελλαίος-Δ:Διόσθεος.





ΒΙΘΥΝΟΙ:




΄Ι:΄Ηράκλειος-Φ:Δίος-Μ:Βενδιδαίος-΄Α:Στράτιος-

Μ:Περιέπιος-΄Ι:΄Αραίος-΄Ι:΄Αφροδίσιος-

Α:Δημήτριος-Σ:΄Ηραίος-΄Ο:΄Ερμαίος-

Ν:Μητρώος-Δ:Διονύσιος






ΚΡΗΤΕΣ:




΄Ι:΄Αγυιός-Φ:Διόσκουρος-Μ:Θεοδόσιος-

΄Α:Πόντος-Μ:Ραβίνθιος-΄Ι:΄Υπερβέρετος-

΄Ι:Νεκύσιος-Α:Βασίλειος-Σ:Θεσμοφοριών-

Ο:΄Ερμαίος-Ν:Μητρώος-Δ:Διονύσιος






ΑΤΤΙΚΟΙ:




΄Ι:Γαμηλιών-Φ:΄Ανθεστηριών-Μ:΄Ελαφοβολιών-

΄Α:Μουνυχιών-Μ:Θαργηλιών-΄Ι:Σκιροφοριών-

΄Ι:΄Εκατομβαιών-Α:Μεταγειτνιών-Σ:Βοηδρομιών-

΄Ο:Πυανεψιών-Ν:Μεμακτηριών-Δ:Ποσειδεών.

[akritas]

Source:
Charles Edson in the Volume .....Philip of Macedon ,Ekdotike Athenon,page 22