DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0419
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE.
397
days at the end of every two years, of the above-said months. Whence
id tempus rgnrrigtSa. appellabant, quod tertio quoque anno intercalabatur,
quamvis biennii circuitus, et revera 8is<rr,gis essei : thai space of time was
termed a period of three yean, because the intercalation w as not made till
after the expiration of full two years, though really it was only a period
of two years ; as we are informed by Censorious (1). So that this pe-
riod of two years contained no less than 750 clays, and exceeded the same
number of years as measured by the true motion of the sun, twenty days;
which difference is so very great, that Scaliger was of opinion this cycle
was never received in any town of Greece.
Afterwards, Solon observing that the course of the moon was not
finished in thirty days, as 1 hales had computed it, but in twenty-nine
days and half a day, he appointed that the months should, in their turns,
consist of twenty-nine and of thirty days, so that a month of twenty-nine
days should constantly succeed one of thirty days ; whereby an entire
year of twelve months was reduced to 354 days, which fell short of the
solar year, that is, the time of the sun's revolution, eleven days, and one
fourth part of a day, or thereabouts. In order, therefore, to reconcile
this difference, Tfrgaermig, i. e. a cycle of four years, was invented.
Herein, after the first two years, they seem to have added an intercalated
month of twenty-two days. And again, after the expiration of two years
more, another month was intercalated, which consisted of twenty-three
days, the fourth part of one day in every year, arising to a whole day in
a period of four years. And thus Solon prevented the lunar years Irotn
exceeding those which are measured by the revolution of the sun, and so
avoided the mistake so manifest in the cycle of Thales.
But afterwards it was considered, that the forty-five days added by So-
lon to his period of four years, and containing a (irX^ijg) full lunar month
and an half, would occasion this cycle to end in the midst of a lunar month ;
to remedy which inconvenience, 0K<ras<r5?£<?, a term of eight years, was insti-
tuted instead of the former cycle of four years, to which three entire lu-
nar months were added at several times (2).
After the cycle of eight years, no change was made in the kalendnr till
the time of Meton, who having observed that the motions of the sun and
moon fell short of one another by some hours, which disagreement, though
at first scarce perceivable, would quite invert the seasons in the compass
of a few ages, invented a cycle of nineteen years, termed emaxatSixatrrr
gig in which term the sun having finished nineteen periods, and the mnon
235, both returned to the same place in the heavens in which they had
been nineteen years before.
Afterwards it was observed, that in the revolution of every cycle, the
moon outwent the sun about seven hours. To prevent this inconveni-
euc-e, Calippus contrived a new cycle, which contained four of Meton's,
that is, seventy-six years. And upon the observation of some small dis-
agreement between the sun and moon at the end of this term, Hippar-
chus devised another cycle, which contained four of those instituted by
Calippus According to other accounts, one of Meton's cycles i ontained
eight evvtuxai$sxas<r»i{>iois,i. e. 152 years. This was afterwards divided into
(l)Libro de die natali, cap. 18. Conf. Herodo- (2) Conf. Censormu?•
tus, lib. i. cap. 32. et lib. ii. cap, 4. Geminus,
cap. 6.
397
days at the end of every two years, of the above-said months. Whence
id tempus rgnrrigtSa. appellabant, quod tertio quoque anno intercalabatur,
quamvis biennii circuitus, et revera 8is<rr,gis essei : thai space of time was
termed a period of three yean, because the intercalation w as not made till
after the expiration of full two years, though really it was only a period
of two years ; as we are informed by Censorious (1). So that this pe-
riod of two years contained no less than 750 clays, and exceeded the same
number of years as measured by the true motion of the sun, twenty days;
which difference is so very great, that Scaliger was of opinion this cycle
was never received in any town of Greece.
Afterwards, Solon observing that the course of the moon was not
finished in thirty days, as 1 hales had computed it, but in twenty-nine
days and half a day, he appointed that the months should, in their turns,
consist of twenty-nine and of thirty days, so that a month of twenty-nine
days should constantly succeed one of thirty days ; whereby an entire
year of twelve months was reduced to 354 days, which fell short of the
solar year, that is, the time of the sun's revolution, eleven days, and one
fourth part of a day, or thereabouts. In order, therefore, to reconcile
this difference, Tfrgaermig, i. e. a cycle of four years, was invented.
Herein, after the first two years, they seem to have added an intercalated
month of twenty-two days. And again, after the expiration of two years
more, another month was intercalated, which consisted of twenty-three
days, the fourth part of one day in every year, arising to a whole day in
a period of four years. And thus Solon prevented the lunar years Irotn
exceeding those which are measured by the revolution of the sun, and so
avoided the mistake so manifest in the cycle of Thales.
But afterwards it was considered, that the forty-five days added by So-
lon to his period of four years, and containing a (irX^ijg) full lunar month
and an half, would occasion this cycle to end in the midst of a lunar month ;
to remedy which inconvenience, 0K<ras<r5?£<?, a term of eight years, was insti-
tuted instead of the former cycle of four years, to which three entire lu-
nar months were added at several times (2).
After the cycle of eight years, no change was made in the kalendnr till
the time of Meton, who having observed that the motions of the sun and
moon fell short of one another by some hours, which disagreement, though
at first scarce perceivable, would quite invert the seasons in the compass
of a few ages, invented a cycle of nineteen years, termed emaxatSixatrrr
gig in which term the sun having finished nineteen periods, and the mnon
235, both returned to the same place in the heavens in which they had
been nineteen years before.
Afterwards it was observed, that in the revolution of every cycle, the
moon outwent the sun about seven hours. To prevent this inconveni-
euc-e, Calippus contrived a new cycle, which contained four of Meton's,
that is, seventy-six years. And upon the observation of some small dis-
agreement between the sun and moon at the end of this term, Hippar-
chus devised another cycle, which contained four of those instituted by
Calippus According to other accounts, one of Meton's cycles i ontained
eight evvtuxai$sxas<r»i{>iois,i. e. 152 years. This was afterwards divided into
(l)Libro de die natali, cap. 18. Conf. Herodo- (2) Conf. Censormu?•
tus, lib. i. cap. 32. et lib. ii. cap, 4. Geminus,
cap. 6.