The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar with years consisting of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset, plus an intercalary month inserted as needed by decree. The calendar is based on a Sumerian (Third Dynasty of Ur) predecessor preserved in the Umma calendar of Shulgi (c. 21st century BC).
The year begins in spring, and is divided into reš šatti "beginning", mišil šatti "middle", and qīt šatti "end of the year". The word for "month" was arḫu (construct statearaḫ). The chief deity of the Assyrians is assigned the surplus intercalary month, showing that the calendar originates in Babylonian, and not later Assyrian times.
During the 6th century BC Babylonian captivity of the Jews, the Babylonian month names were adopted into the Hebrew calendar. In Iraq and the Levant the Gregorian solar calendar is used with these names replacing the Latin ones as Arabic names of Roman months. The Assyrian calendar used in is an example, also the Turkish months. These were inspired by the Ottoman Rumi calendar, itself derived from the Roman Julian solar calendar. Despite appropriating the mere Babylonian names, their months are not equivalent to those of the Hebrew and Babylonian lunisolar calendar.
Until the 5th century BC, the calendar was fully observational, but beginning about 499 BC the months began to be regulated by a lunisolar cycle of 19 years equaling 235 months. Although usually called the Metonic cycle after Meton of Athens (432 BC), Meton probably learned of the cycle from the Babylonians. After no more than three isolated exceptions, by 380 BC the months of the calendar were regulated by the cycle without exception. In the cycle of 19 years, the month Adaru 2 was intercalated, except in the year that was number 17 in the cycle, when the month Ulūlu 2 was inserted. During this period, the first day of each month (beginning at sunset) continued to be the day when a new crescent moon was first sighted—the calendar never used a specified number of days in any month.
Days
Counting from the new moon, the Babylonians celebrated every seventh day as a "holy-day", also called an "evil-day" (meaning "unsuitable" for prohibited activities). On these days officials were prohibited from various activities and common men were forbidden to "make a wish", and at least the 28th was known as a "rest-day". On each of them, offerings were made to a different god and goddess, apparently at nightfall to avoid the prohibitions: Marduk and Ishtar on the 7th, Ninlil and Nergal on the 14th, Sin and Shamash on the 21st, and Enki and Mah on the 28th. Tablets from the sixth-century BC reigns of Cyrus the Great and Cambyses II indicate these dates were sometimes approximate. The lunation of 29 or 30 days basically contained three seven-day weeks, and a final week of eight or nine days inclusive, breaking the continuous seven-day cycle.[6]
Among other theories of Shabbat origin, the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia of Isaac Landman advanced a theory of Assyriologists like Friedrich Delitzsch[7] that Shabbat originally arose from the lunar cycle,[8][9] containing four weeks ending in Sabbath, plus one or two additional unreckoned days per month.[10] The difficulties of this theory include reconciling the differences between an unbroken week and a lunar week, and explaining the absence of texts naming the lunar week as Shabbat in any language.[11]
The rarely attested Sapattum or Sabattum as the full moon is cognate or merged with Hebrew Shabbat, but is monthly rather than weekly; it is regarded as a form of Sumerian sa-bat ("mid-rest"), attested in Akkadian as um nuh libbi ("day of mid-repose"). According to Marcello Craveri, Sabbath "was almost certainly derived from the Babylonian Shabattu, the festival of the full moon, but, all trace of any such origin having been lost, the Hebrews ascribed it to Biblical legend."[12] This conclusion is a contextual restoration of the damaged Enûma Eliš creation account, which is read as: "[Sa]bbath shalt thou then encounter, mid[month]ly."[6]
^Muss-Arnolt, W., [www.jstor.org/stable/3259081 The Names of the Assyro-Babylonian Months and Their Regents], Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 11, No. 1 (1892), pp. 72–94 [76], accessed 10 Aug. 2020
^George, A. R. (2003). The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts. Oxford University Press. p. 126. ISBN978-0-19-927841-1. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
^Muss-Arnolt, W., The Names of the Assyro-Babylonian Months and Their Regents, Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 11, No. 2 (1892), pp. 160-176 [163], accessed 9-8-2020
^ abPinches, T.G. (1919). "Sabbath (Babylonian)". In Hastings, James (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. Selbie, John A., contrib. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 889–891.
^Landau, Judah Leo. The Sabbath. Johannesburg: Ivri Publishing Society, Ltd. pp. 2, 12. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
^Joseph, Max (1943). "Holidays". In Landman, Isaac (ed.). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia: An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times. Vol. 5. Cohen, Simon, compiler. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. p. 410.
^Joseph, Max (1943). "Sabbath". In Landman, Isaac (ed.). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia: An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times. Vol. 9. Cohen, Simon, compiler. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. p. 295.
^Cohen, Simon (1943). "Week". In Landman, Isaac (ed.). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia: An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times. Vol. 10. Cohen, Simon, compiler. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. p. 482.
^Sampey, John Richard (1915). "Sabbath: Critical Theories". In Orr, James (ed.). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Howard-Severance Company. p. 2630.
^Craveri, Marcello (1967). The Life of Jesus. Grove Press. p. 134.
Bibliography
Parker, Richard Anthony and Waldo H. Dubberstein. Babylonian Chronology 626 BC.–AD. 75. Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1956.
W. Muss-Arnolt, The Names of the Assyro-Babylonian Months and Their Regents, Journal of Biblical Literature (1892).
Sacha Stern, "The Babylonian Calendar at Elephantine" in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 130 (2000) 159–171 (PDF document, 94 KB)
Fales, Frederick Mario, “A List of Umma Month Names”, Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale, 76 (1982), 70–71.
Gomi, Tohru, “On the Position of the Month iti-ezem-dAmar-dSin in the Neo-Sumerian Umma Calendar”, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, 75 (1985), 4–6.
Pomponio, Francesco, “The Reichskalender of Ur III in the Umma Texts”, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiastische Archäologie, 79 (1989), 10–13.
Verderame, Lorenzo, “Le calendrier et le compte du temps dans la pensée mythique suméro-akkadienne”, De Kêmi à Birit Nâri, Revue Internationale de l'Orient Ancien, 3 (2008), 121–134.
Steele, John M., ed., "Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient Near East", Oxford: Oxbow, 2007.
External links
The Babylonian Ritual Calendar
Structure of the Babylonian calendar
The Babylonian Calendar (with a date converter based on Parker & Dubberstein (1971))
January 07, 2023
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations May 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar with years consisting of 12 lunar months each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset plus an intercalary month inserted as needed by decree The calendar is based on a Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur predecessor preserved in the Umma calendar of Shulgi c 21st century BC Calendar of Nippur Third Dynasty of Ur Contents 1 Months 2 Days 3 See also 3 1 Lunisolar calendars 3 2 Other systems 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Citations 4 3 Bibliography 5 External linksMonths EditThe year begins in spring and is divided into res satti beginning misil satti middle and qit satti end of the year The word for month was arḫu construct state araḫ The chief deity of the Assyrians is assigned the surplus intercalary month showing that the calendar originates in Babylonian and not later Assyrian times During the 6th century BC Babylonian captivity of the Jews the Babylonian month names were adopted into the Hebrew calendar In Iraq and the Levant the Gregorian solar calendar is used with these names replacing the Latin ones as Arabic names of Roman months The Assyrian calendar used in is an example also the Turkish months These were inspired by the Ottoman Rumi calendar itself derived from the Roman Julian solar calendar Despite appropriating the mere Babylonian names their months are not equivalent to those of the Hebrew and Babylonian lunisolar calendar Babylonian calendar Season Month name Presiding deities Zodiac sign EquivalentsHebrew Levantine and Iraqi GregorianRes Satti 𒊕𒈬 1 Araḫ Nisanu 𒌚𒁈 Month of beginning 1 Bel 𒀭𒂗 Agru Aries 𒀯𒇽𒂠𒂷 Nisan נ יס ן Naysan ن ي س ان Mar April2 Araḫ Aru 𒌚𒄞 Month of the Blossoming 2 Ea 𒂗𒆠 Gu Taurus 𒀯𒄞 Iyar א י יר Ayyar أ ي ار Apr May3 Araḫ Simanu 𒌚𒋞 Sin 𒂗𒍪 Mastaba Gemini 𒀯𒈦𒋰𒁀 Sivan ס יו ן Ḥaziran ح ز ير ان May Jun4 Araḫ Dumuzu 𒌚𒋗 Month of Tammuz Tammuz 𒀭𒌉𒍣 Alluttu Cancer 𒀯𒀠𒇻 Tammuz ת מ ו ז Tammuz ت م وز Jun JulMisil Satti 𒁇𒈬 5 Araḫ Abu 𒌚𒉈 Gilgamesh 𒄑𒂅𒈦 3 Nesu Leo 𒀯𒌨 Ab א ב Ab آب Jul Aug6 Araḫ Ululu 𒌚𒆥 Ishtar 𒀭𒈹 Sisinnu Virgo 𒀯𒀳 Elul א לו ל Aylul أ ي ل ول Aug Sep7 Araḫ Tisritum 𒌚𒇯 Month of Beginning i e the start of the second half year Shamash 𒀭𒌓 Zibanitu Libra 𒀯𒄑𒂟 Tishrei ת ש ר י Tishrin al Awwal ت ش ر ين ال أ و ل Sep Oct8 Araḫ Samnu 𒌚𒀳 month the eighth 4 Marduk 𒀭𒀫𒌓 Zuqaqipu Scorpio 𒀯𒄈𒋰 Cheshvan מ ר ח ש ו ן ח ש ו ן Tishrin ath Thani ت ش ر ين الث ان ي Oct NovQit Satti 𒌀𒈬 9 Araḫ Kislimu 𒌚𒃶 Nergal 𒀭𒄊𒀕𒃲 Pabilsag Sagittarius 𒀯𒉺𒉋𒊕 Kislev כ ס ל ו Kanun al Awwal ك ان ون ال أ و ل Nov Dec10 Araḫ Ṭebetum 𒌚𒀊 Muddy Month 5 Papsukkal 𒀭𒊩𒆠𒋚 Suḫurmasu Capricorn 𒀯𒋦𒈧𒄩 Tebeth ט ב ת Kanun ath Thani ك ان ون الث ان ي Dec Jan11 Araḫ Sabaṭu 𒌚𒊭𒉺𒌅 Adad 𒀭𒅎 Gula Aquarius 𒀯𒄖𒆷 Shebat ש ב ט Shubaṭ ش ب اط Jan Feb12 Araḫ Addaru Adar 𒌚𒊺 Month of Adar Erra 𒀭𒅕𒊏 Zibbatu Pisces 𒀯𒆲𒎌 Adar א ד ר א ד ר א א ד ר ר אש ון if there is an intercalary month that year Adhar آذ ار Feb MarIntercalary 13 Araḫ Makarusa Addari citation needed Araḫ Addaru Arku 𒌚𒊺𒂕 Assur 𒀭𒀸𒋩 In year 17 of the 19 year cycle the intercalary month was named Araḫ Ululu 𒌚𒆥 Adar II א ד ר ב א ד ר ש נ י Mart Azar Until the 5th century BC the calendar was fully observational but beginning about 499 BC the months began to be regulated by a lunisolar cycle of 19 years equaling 235 months Although usually called the Metonic cycle after Meton of Athens 432 BC Meton probably learned of the cycle from the Babylonians After no more than three isolated exceptions by 380 BC the months of the calendar were regulated by the cycle without exception In the cycle of 19 years the month Adaru 2 was intercalated except in the year that was number 17 in the cycle when the month Ululu 2 was inserted During this period the first day of each month beginning at sunset continued to be the day when a new crescent moon was first sighted the calendar never used a specified number of days in any month Days EditCounting from the new moon the Babylonians celebrated every seventh day as a holy day also called an evil day meaning unsuitable for prohibited activities On these days officials were prohibited from various activities and common men were forbidden to make a wish and at least the 28th was known as a rest day On each of them offerings were made to a different god and goddess apparently at nightfall to avoid the prohibitions Marduk and Ishtar on the 7th Ninlil and Nergal on the 14th Sin and Shamash on the 21st and Enki and Mah on the 28th Tablets from the sixth century BC reigns of Cyrus the Great and Cambyses II indicate these dates were sometimes approximate The lunation of 29 or 30 days basically contained three seven day weeks and a final week of eight or nine days inclusive breaking the continuous seven day cycle 6 Among other theories of Shabbat origin the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia of Isaac Landman advanced a theory of Assyriologists like Friedrich Delitzsch 7 that Shabbat originally arose from the lunar cycle 8 9 containing four weeks ending in Sabbath plus one or two additional unreckoned days per month 10 The difficulties of this theory include reconciling the differences between an unbroken week and a lunar week and explaining the absence of texts naming the lunar week as Shabbat in any language 11 The rarely attested Sapattum or Sabattum as the full moon is cognate or merged with Hebrew Shabbat but is monthly rather than weekly it is regarded as a form of Sumerian sa bat mid rest attested in Akkadian as um nuh libbi day of mid repose According to Marcello Craveri Sabbath was almost certainly derived from the Babylonian Shabattu the festival of the full moon but all trace of any such origin having been lost the Hebrews ascribed it to Biblical legend 12 This conclusion is a contextual restoration of the damaged Enuma Elis creation account which is read as Sa bbath shalt thou then encounter mid month ly 6 See also EditPortals Asia Astronomy Lunisolar calendars Edit Hebrew calendar Ancient Macedonian calendarOther systems Edit Assyrian calendar Mandaean calendar Persian calendar Islamic calendar Solar Hijri calendarPre Islamic Arabian calendar Babylonian astrology Babylonian astronomy Arabic names of Gregorian months MUL APIN Egyptian Coptic and Ethiopian calendars Zoroastrian and Armenian calendars Turkish monthsReferences EditNotes Edit Citations Edit Muss Arnolt W www jstor org stable 3259081 The Names of the Assyro Babylonian Months and Their Regents Journal of Biblical Literature Vol 11 No 1 1892 pp 72 94 76 accessed 10 Aug 2020 Muss Arnolt 1892 Vol 11 No 1 p 78 George A R 2003 The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic Introduction Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts Oxford University Press p 126 ISBN 978 0 19 927841 1 Retrieved 17 May 2020 Muss Arnolt W The Names of the Assyro Babylonian Months and Their Regents Journal of Biblical Literature Vol 11 No 2 1892 pp 160 176 163 accessed 9 8 2020 Muss Arnolt 1892 Vol 11 No 2 p 170 a b Pinches T G 1919 Sabbath Babylonian In Hastings James ed Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Selbie John A contrib Charles Scribner s Sons pp 889 891 Landau Judah Leo The Sabbath Johannesburg Ivri Publishing Society Ltd pp 2 12 Retrieved 2009 03 26 Joseph Max 1943 Holidays In Landman Isaac ed The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times Vol 5 Cohen Simon compiler The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Inc p 410 Joseph Max 1943 Sabbath In Landman Isaac ed The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times Vol 9 Cohen Simon compiler The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Inc p 295 Cohen Simon 1943 Week In Landman Isaac ed The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia An authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times Vol 10 Cohen Simon compiler The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Inc p 482 Sampey John Richard 1915 Sabbath Critical Theories In Orr James ed The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Howard Severance Company p 2630 Craveri Marcello 1967 The Life of Jesus Grove Press p 134 Bibliography Edit Parker Richard Anthony and Waldo H Dubberstein Babylonian Chronology 626 BC AD 75 Providence RI Brown University Press 1956 W Muss Arnolt The Names of the Assyro Babylonian Months and Their Regents Journal of Biblical Literature 1892 Sacha Stern The Babylonian Calendar at Elephantine in Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 130 2000 159 171 PDF document 94 KB Fales Frederick Mario A List of Umma Month Names Revue d assyriologie et d archeologie orientale 76 1982 70 71 Gomi Tohru On the Position of the Month iti ezem dAmar dSin in the Neo Sumerian Umma Calendar Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archaologie 75 1985 4 6 Pomponio Francesco The Reichskalender of Ur III in the Umma Texts Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie und Vorderasiastische Archaologie 79 1989 10 13 Verderame Lorenzo Le calendrier et le compte du temps dans la pensee mythique sumero akkadienne De Kemi a Birit Nari Revue Internationale de l Orient Ancien 3 2008 121 134 Steele John M ed Calendars and Years Astronomy and Time in the Ancient Near East Oxford Oxbow 2007 External links EditThe Babylonian Ritual Calendar The Mul Apin Tablets Structure of the Babylonian calendar The Babylonian Calendar with a date converter based on Parker amp Dubberstein 1971 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Babylonian calendar amp oldid 1121299332, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
