of 366 days in Leap-years or fourth years, like those of the Julian Calendar; but the months were composed of 30 days each, with 5 fupplementary days at the end of the last month in common years, and fix days in Leap years. To reduce this era to the common Christian era, deduct 324 from the given year of this era: and for years B.C. deduct the years elapfed from 324. Thus.-The 325th year of the era of Alexander began on the 12th of November I A.D. 325 .. I A.D. The 2nd year of the era of Alexander began on the 12th of November, 323 B.C. 324 I year elapfed. 323 B.C. V. The Era of Tyre. HIS era begins with the year 125 B.C., in the month Hyperberetæus, corresponding to the 19th of October, fo interpreted: the months of this era were the fame as in the Greek era, while the year was fimilar to the Julian year. = To reduce this era to the Chriftian era, [as 126 of the era of Tyre I A.D.,] fubtract 125 from the given year of this era. Before the Christian era, deduct the given year of the era of Tyre from 126. Thus.-The commencement of the year 127 of the era of Tyre = 2 A.D. 19 October, and of 125 of the era of Tyre I B.C. 19 October. VI. The Cæfarean Era of Antioch. 48 B.C. Greek era. HIS era was inftituted at Antioch, to commemorate the victory gained by Julius Cæfar in the plain of Pharfalia, on a day correfponding to the 9th of Auguft, 706 a.u.c. The months are the fame as those with the The Syrians reckoned this era from the autumn, with Tifhri I. 48 B.C., but the Greeks began it from their month Gorpiæus [= September] 49 B.C. 705 A.U.C. VII. The Julian Era. HIS era commences on the 1st of January 708 A.U.C., and thus precedes the common Christian era, or 1 Anno Domini according to the Dionyfian reckoning, by 45 years. The Julian era obtains its name from Caius Julius Cæfar, he having corrected the Roman Calendar and introduced the fixed form of year, which we observe at the present day, ufually called the Julian year, [see p. 2]. The years of Rome, which were reckoned from the 21ft of April 753 years before I A.D. by Marcus Terentius Varro, muft not be confounded with the Roman year commencing on the 1ft of January, at which date the Confuls entered office, otherwise we shall find that the chronological lift of Confuls will be out of order, to the extent of one year. VIII. The Era of Spain, or Era of the Cæfars. HIS era is reckoned from the 1ft of January 38 B.C., the year following the conqueft of Spain by Auguftus. It was used in Africa, Spain, Portugal, and the South of France. By a Synod held A.D. 1180, the ufe of the "era of Spain" was abolished in Catalonia in all churches dependent on Barcelona. Pedro IV. of Arragon abolished the use of it in his dominions A.D. 1350; in Valencia it was abolished A.D. 1358; and in Caftile John I. of Caftile abolished it A.D. 1382; but in Portugal it continued in ufe until about A.D. 1420, when it was abolished by John I. of Portugal. The era of Spain differs from the common Christian era, only by having been reckoned 38 years earlier; therefore to make the Spanish era accord with our common Chriftian era, we have but to deduct 38 from any year of the Spanish era before the alterations occurred in the different provinces noticed above. Thus :-40 of the era of Spain = 2 A.D. IX. The Era of Auguftus. HIS era was founded to commemorate the battle of Actium, which made Octavius [afterwards called Auguftus] master of the Roman empire. The battle took place about the 2nd of September in the 15th year of the Julian era, in the 723rd year of Rome [31 B.c.] The emperor affumed the name of Auguftus in the year 27 B.C., from which year the Auguftan era has been fometimes reckoned; but by the Epyptians this era was dated from the year of the battle. By a decree of the Senate of Rome, in the year 30 B.C., the era was to be adopted; the Egyptian year being then ordered to confift of the same number of days as the Julian year with the extra day for Leap-year. The Egyptian New year's day, 1 Thoth, happened to be the 29th of Auguft, when the order took effect in the fifth year of the date of the order, viz. 728 A.U.C. the 26th year before I A.D. This era continued in use until the reign of Diocletian. The years of the reign of Auguftus, if we reckon from the date of the battle, will be as follows: Note.-The year of Rome is reckoned from the 21st of April to the 20th of April [fo interpreted], confequently any Julian year correfponds to two years of Rome, in part. Thus : 4 B.C. 749 A.U.C. to the 20th of April. { = 750 from the 21st of April. and as the year of Auguftus, by the Egyptian reckoning, commenced on the 29th of August, the 28th year of that Emperor's reign, when first the cenfus was ordered to be taken, correfponded to the year of Rome 750 4 B.C., i. e. 4 before 1 A.D. of the Dionyfian reckoning. = |
