The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-12-18
TINE MEASUREMENT.
SYSTEMS OF CHRONOLOGY USED BY
THE ANcleNTS.
Egyptians Dated Events by the Reigns OF
Kings. and the Norsemen Reckoned BY
Winters The jews Had Six Seasons.

The Egyptian year began with the rising
Of the star Sirius and consisted OF 800
days There were l2 months OF 80 days
each, and at the close Of the year five days
we're intercalated. All reckoning was by
this year The festivals were celebrated
by IL. and as consequence, like the 10
man festivals OF later times. circled around
from one season 10 another on account OF
the omission from the calendar OF the
quarter day. Notwithstanding this omis-
sion the Egyptians seem to have known
that the addition OF a quarter OF day each
year was necessary In order to keep cor
rect measurement Of time, and their $50
thiac cycle. This cycle was period OF
I, 46i vague or I, 400 true years, and was
called "sothisc' because Its beginning was
fixed at date when the dog star, known
by the Egyptians az Sothis rose with the
sun on the first of Thoth, which was the
commencement Of their year. This rising
of Sirius and the sun on the first OF Thoth
took place in the years b. G. 27S2 and Is.
C. 1922, and also In 1873 A. ID. The Egyp-
tians knew that the last named year was
the first OF sothiac cycle. The year d. G.
1922 was also probably known as such,
but we have no knowledge whatever re-
garding b. c. 27s2. The ancient Egyp-
tians, therefore. appear to have been aware
that for accuracy II was necessary to have
s65i4 instead of S65 days in the solar year,
but they do not seem to have realized that
this extra quarter day was In excess, and
provided for IL as 1t Is provided for In the
Gregorian calendar
20 ax had M
tenn of chronology. They made use of no
era. but dated events by the regnal years
Of their kings Thus the astronomers
would note an eclipse Of the sun as taking
place in the fourth year OF Rameses IL,
which would be utterly unintelligible as
regards to time to one OF another country.
This fallacious method resulted in an in
terminable chronological observation
which the most astute researches Of savants
have not succeeded In unwinding.
The ancient northmen reckoned by win
tiers, and the beginning of their year was
probably dated from the 10th Of October.
The festival In honor Of Thor was held in
midwinter, about our Christmas time and
In fact, was the origin Of the Christian
holiday mcrrymaking. We get the names
OF at least three. II not four, of our days Of
the week from the Morse gods Of the Odin
religion Tuesday is from Tir, or Diss-
day, on which the offerings to fate were
made and the courts Of justice held
Wednesday Is from Wooden, or Odin, one Of
the Morse trinity; Thursday, or Thor's
day. from Thor, the chief Of the trinity
and Friday from Frigg, another of the
minor deitics IF the trinity.
There is nothing OF especial Importance
In the Jewish chronology except In so far
as it pertains TO Scriptural matters, and
even then the only valuable knowledge we
have In this regard is based on the Penta-
teuch. The only information the Jews
possessed of astronomy was obtained from
the Assyrians Like the ancient Greeks
and the modern Turks. they divided their
year into l2 months OF 20 and 80 days al
| ternntely, with an intercalary month every
| three and sometimes every two years. II
amend inaccurate measurement They had
six seasons-seedtime, winter, cold season,
| harvest, summer and hot season. The
Jews that returned To Palestine after the
overthrow Of the Jewish nation used the
Macedonian era, which dated from 81 b.
c. The Jews of today, like the Freemasons,
claim to date their calendar from creation,
| which, they assert, was $3.50 Is. c.
IL seems a very easy and natural thing
| for US to now use year as unit OF time
| measurement. but II one would but stop tc
think moment he would readily see how
| difficult Ii must have been originally tc
have formed that unit with nothing but
space upon which to operate. Even as lat
as $50 Is. G. Herodotus refcrrd TO century
as three generations. and formerly in near
~ all countries the phrase five winters o.
three summers was used instead Of the ex
preston Of so many years. In the earl.
times the elapse of historical events wa
chronicled from central figures, as king
or great chieftains who had won renown
In Rome and Athens reference was mad
10 magistrate when an occurrence OF tina
year was mentioned, and as these officer
were elected annually the method was
very convenient one. In the same wa
Babylonian and Assyrian events wer
chronicled from the term OF Office Of tn
limu much more frequently than from tn
reigns Of the kings. Such systems, how
ever, were necessarily very limited In thei
scope, and the want Of better Garlic
chronology has been felt In the study O
= authentic ancient history.
The great progress that was made 4
trtTOUDIil Wy SfiiHo lJubt ~ VII
J dawn Of civilization opened the way for
8 better time measurement. Mems view
were broadcned, and the invention Of era
, was begun. The Chinese began tim
{ computation that Is undoubtedly prehi,
: toric, for their records Of the eclipscs tina
have been observed show chronology {
at least 400 years duration, and thei
!. historians assert that they had q yea
measurement similar to our Julian systcr
fully 1000 Is. q.
The earliest authentic date that has bee
4 handed down to us YVES inscribed on tn
+, foundation stone Of the temple to the su
god at Sippara by Naram-Sin, son OF Sal
Ion. This stone was exhumed by Nabon
ius, who reigned over Babylon about So
All b. c., and IL Is asserted that Naram- 81
q ruled 3, 200 years previously. From thes
dates we learn that the chronology {
y Babylon began with the reign Of Sarge
VI |, king Of Agade, $500 Il. c. From tn
n best Information we have the calenda
/, anne into use 1880 ID. G. with week
: seven days and "a year Of le months name
K after zodiacai signs The year consisted I
II $50 days, which probably suggested u
!. division Of the circle into degrees Astr'
nomical chronology was divided into cycl,
- Of so years. 600 years, and the star
5000 years The Observations Of Bel.