Ancient Macedonian calendar
The Ancient Macedonian calendar is a
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.
Names
The names of the Macedonian months, just like most of the names of Greek months, are derived from feasts and related celebrations in honor of the
Greek gods.[1] Most of them combine a Macedonian dialectal form with a clear Greek etymology (e.g Δῐός from Zeus; Περίτιος from Heracles Peritas (“Guardian”) ; Ξανδικός/Ξανθικός from Xanthos, “the blond” (probably a reference to Heracles); Άρτεμίσιος from Artemis etc.) with the possible exception of one, which is attested in other Greek calendars as well.[1]
Description
The Macedonian calendar was in essence the
of about c. 306–298 BCE bearing a month Ἀθηναιῶν Athenaion suggests that some cities may have used their own months even after the 4th century BCE Macedonian expansion.Order | Greek name(s) | Transliteration | Approximate modern month |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Δίος | Dios | October | |
2 | Ἀπελλαῖος | Apellaiios | November | also a Dorian month – Apellaiōn was a Tenian month |
3 | Αὐδυναῖος or Αὐδναῖος |
Audunaios or Audnaios |
December | also a Cretan month
|
4 | Περίτιος | Peritios | January | and festival of the month; Peritia |
5 | Δύστρος | Dystros | February | |
6 | Ξανδικός or Ξανθικός |
Xandikos or Xanthikos |
March | and festival of the month; Xanthika, purifying the army, Hesych |
‡ | Ξανδικός Ἐμβόλιμος |
Xandikos Embolimos |
‡ | intercalated 6 times over a 19 year cycle |
7 | Ἀρτεμίσιος or Ἀρταμίτιος |
Artemisios or Artamitios |
April | also a Spartan, Rhodian, and Epidaurian month – Artemisiōn was an Ionic month |
8 | Δαίσιος | Daisios | May | |
9 | Πάνημος or Πάναμος |
Panēmos or Panamos |
June | also an Epidaurian, Miletian, Samian, and Corinthian month |
10 | Λώιος | Lōios | July | Ὀμολώιος, Homolōios, was an Aetolian, Boeotian and Thessalian month |
11 | Γορπιαῖος | Gorpiaios | August | |
12 | Ὑπερβερεταῖος | Hyperberetaios | September | Hyperberetos was a Cretan month
|
‡ | Ὑπερβερεταῖος Ἑμβόλιμος |
Hyperberetaios Embolimos |
‡ | intercalated only once over a 19 year cycle |
- ‡ Months marked with a double-dagger and including the word "Embolimos" were used only occasionally, for intercalation, as noted in the remarks
Year numbering
Years were usually counted from the re-conquest of
Ptolemaic Egypt, and other major Hellenistic states descended from Alexander's conquests as well. Years can be abbreviated SE, S.E., or occasionally AG (Anno Graecorum).[citation needed
]