Julian Dates and Greek Calendars

Abstract

IN 1939, Professor W. B. Dinsmoor published an article titled Archaeology and Astronomy,' which, taken in conjunction with his several earlier articles and his two volumes on Athenian archons, contains virtually complete tables for equating Julian dates with days in the Athenian civil calendar throughout the five centuries from Solon to 100 B.C. and, at the same time, an explanation of the divergences between dates preserved in terms of the Athenian calendar and of the calendars of other Greek city-states. Dinsmoor's article is primarily concerned with the theory of temple-orientation, whereby it is argued that the axes of ancient temples were laid out along the direction of sunrise on the morning of certain religious holidays. For example, the temple known as the Older Parthenon would be dedicated presumably at the Panathenaic Festival on the twentyeighth day of the first Athenian month. Since the axes of ancient temples are known from archeological evidence, the exact year of the dedication can be determined by calculation and by observation of the direction of sunrise, provided that Julian dates for the festivals can be established. Dinsmoor's method of obtaining Julian dates involves the construction of schematic lunar calendars, astronomically more or less correct for Athens and incorrect for other city-states. He adopts assumptions which have been accepted in unbroken tradition from the publication of Scaliger's De emendatione temporum in 1583 through the recent investigations of