Calendars in Antiquity. Empires, States, and Societies

4. It is evident from the year of Nabonassar, as well as from the astronom-
   ical data associated with these dates, that the‘Chaldaean’or Seleucid Era
   is assumed to begin in the spring of 311BCE, as was Babylonian practice
   (whereas, as we have seen, Macedonian practice was to begin in autumn
   312 BCE); Samuel 1972 (245–6), Toomer (1984) 13.

In these reports, therefore, Macedonian month-names designate Babylonian
months. These Babylonian months can be independently identified on the
basis of the Egyptian dates, our knowledge of the Babylonian calendar, and
astronomically, as follows:

Apellaios = Arah:samnu

Dios = Tashritu

Xandikos = Addaru

These equivalences are not only internally consistent (given the known order
of the Babylonian and Macedonian months of the year), but also consistent
with the Aiaru—Daisios equivalence obtained for Alexander’s date of death
(see above). This supports the existence of a standard, consistent system of
equivalences between Babylonian and Macedonian month-names, as tabu-
lated in Table 5.2.
The evidence from the Almagestthus leads Samuel (with most other
scholars) to the conclusion that no later than the mid-third centuryBCE(to
which these double dates belong), the Macedonian calendar in the Seleucid
Empire was completely assimilated to the Babylonian calendar and only ever

Table 5.2.Seleucid months

Month no.a Babylonianb Macedonian(Seleucid) Macedonian
(post-Seleucid)c

I Nisannu (Nisan) Artemisios Xandikos
II Aiaru (Iyyar) Daisios Artemisios
III Simanu (Siwan) Panemos Daisios
IV Duzu (Tammuz) Loios Panemos
V Abu (Ab) Gorpiaios Loios
VI Ululu (Elul) Hyperberetaios Gorpiaios
VII Tashritu (Tishrei) Dios Hyperberetaios
VIII Arah:samnu (Marh:eshwan) Apellaios Dios
IX Kislimu (Kislew) Audnaios Apellaios
XT:ebetu (Tebet) Peritios Audnaios
XI Shabat:u (Shebat) Dystros Peritios
XII Addaru (Adar) Xandikos Dystros

aThese numbers relate to the Babylonian calendar. It is generally assumed that in the Seleucid Macedonian
calendar, thefirst month was Dios (i.e. Babylonian month VII), as discussed above.
bAkkadian names, with Aramaic names in brackets. The latter are generally found in non-cuneiform
sources.
cThis column will be discussed and explained later in this chapter.

240 Calendars in Antiquity