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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 3
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 3 |
Hello,
Would someone please explain the logic behind labelling months 9, 10, 11 and 12 with names which suggest 7, 8, 9 and 10? Has it something to do with the Julian/Gregorian transition?
Furthermore, why aren't the balance of the months (back to March, which would be Month One) named with their corresponding Latin prefixes? (And as a point of interest, what would those prefixes be? Hex, Pent, etc?)
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
Welcome to the picnic . . . I mean board, Ants.
You're right about the shifting of the months. July and August, from Julius and Augustus Caesar, were shoved in between June and September. I'm not totally sure who did it, but I'm guessing Augustus?
The other months I can only guess came from Roman mythology. January (Janus), March (Mars), June (Juno). I have no clue if that's correct, but I'm certain someone else on the board knows.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Ants: Here is a URL with a good bit of the information you wanted: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/waugh10.17.98.htmlFor some reason the above URL didn't work when I tested it, but when I used edit,copy, edit, paste into Location box, it worked fine. So try that if you need to.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
In ancient (and not so ancient) times, Jan 1 was not the beginning of the new year; a new year began on the vernal equinox, in March. So if you count from March, September is the seventh month, Oct. the 8th, etc. The change to Jan 1 being the first day of the new year came with the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendars, so in England (and the American colonies) the switch occurred in (if I remember correctly) 1756. You will often see dates falling between Jan 1 and the March new year date shown with two years, i.e., Feb. 15, 1722/23, indicating that under the old system it was still 1722, but 1723 in the new system.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 163
member
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member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 163 |
You will often see dates falling between Jan 1 and the March new year date shown with two years, i.e., Feb. 15, 1722/23, indicating that under the old system it was still 1722, but 1723 in the new system.
Good thing there were no computers or programmers around then!
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
The change occurred in April, and the people resisting the change called those who used it "April Fools".
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
The year beginning in March explains why the Zodiac starts in March then, right?
If there were orginially only ten months, were there more days per month or was the year shorter? Seem that would screw up the seasons pretty quickly. And if it was the same length year, why bother adding two more months.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
I'd always thought that the zodiac was independent of the current calendar, especially since the cusps hover around the 19th - 23rd days of the month. Yet, I could imagine the images created by "connecting the dots" were inspired by what was visible at/in certain place/times of the year... I know I would! What makes March so special?... in zodiac terms?
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
What makes March so special?... in zodiac terms?
I don't know if it is, but I've always noticed that when the Zodiac signs are listed, they're always in the same order, with Taurus (my sign for April/May) is second on the list. That would make the sign for March/April first.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393 |
I have an idea the two-month period after December was left fallow, so to speak; there were no agricultural tasks to be done so they didn't need to name them. I can't vouch for this.
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