Page:The chronology of ancient nations (IA chronologyofanci00biru).djvu/37

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ON THE NATURE OF MONTHS AND YEARS.

15

As to the other nations, their opinions on this subject are well known. They are likely to have no other systems besides those we have mentioned, and each nation seems to follow the example of the system of their neighbours.

Years of the Indians.—I have heard that the Indians use the appearance of new-moon in their months, that they intercalate one lunar month in every 976 days, and that they fix the beginning of their era to the moment when a conjunction takes place in the first minute of any zodiacal sign. The chief object of their searching is that this conjunction should take place in one of the two equinoctial points. The leap-year they call Adhimâsa. It is very possible that this is really the case; because, of all stars, they use specially the moon, her mansions and their subdivisions, in their astrological determinations, and not the zodiacal signs. However, I have not met with anybody who had an accurate knowledge of this subject; therefore I turn away from what I cannot know for certain. And God is my help!

'Abû-Muḥammad Alnâ'ib Alâmulî relates in his Kitâb-alghurra, on the authority of Ya'ḳûb ben Ṭâriḳ, that the Indians use four different kinds of spaces of time:

I. One revolution of the sun, starting from a point of the ecliptic and returning to it. This is the solar year.
II. 360 risings of the sun. This is called the middle-year, because it is longer than the lunar year and shorter than the solar year.
III. 12 revolutions of the moon, starting from the star Alsharaṭân (i.e. the head of Aries) and returning to it. This is their lunar year, which consists of 327 days and nearly ⁠7+2/3⁠ hours.
IV. 12 lunations. This is the lunar year, which they use.