Calendars in the Making: The Origins of Calendars from the Roman Empire to the Later Middle Ages (Time, Astronomy, and Calendars, 10)

Calendars in the Making investigates the origins of calendars we are most familiar with today, yet whose early histories, in the Roman and medieval periods, are still shrouded in obscurity. It examines when the seven-day week was standardized and first used for dating and time reckoning, in Jewish and other constituencies of the Roman Empire; how the Christian liturgical calendar was constructed in early medieval Europe; and how and when the Islamic calendar was instituted. The volume includes studies of Roman provincial calendars, medieval Persian calendar reforms, and medieval Jewish calendar cycles. Edited by Sacha Stern, it presents the original research of a team of leading experts in the field. Contributors are: François de Blois, Ilaria Bultrighini, Sacha Stern, Johannes Thomann, Nadia Vidro, Immo Warntjes. Contents Figures Notes on Contributors Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1 The Seven-Day Week in the Roman Empire Origins, Standardization, and Diffusion 1 The Jewish Sabbath Week 2 The Roman Planetary Week 3 The Standardization of the Seven-Day Week: From Ptolemaic Egypt to the Early Roman Empire 4 The Seven-Day Week in the Later Roman Empire and Late Antiquity (Third–Sixth Century CE): Standardization and Diffusion Chapter 2 Calendars of the Greek East under Rome A New Look at the Hemerologia Tables 1 Introduction 2 The Julian Calendar and Its Diffusion in the Roman East: The Calendar of Asia 3 Equating Calendars in the Roman Empire 4 The Hemerologia Manuscripts: Times, Contexts, and Modes of Composition and Transmission 5 The Hemerologia: Functions and Purposes 6 New External Evidence since Kubitschek’s 1915 Study Appendix: List of New Sources Chapter 3 The Origin(s) of the Medieval Calendar Tradition in the Latin West 1 Introduction 2 Calendrical Knowledge in Seventh-Century Ireland 3 The Zürich (Nivelles) Calendar 4 The Computistical Data of the Zürich (Nivelles) Calendar 5 Conclusion: Towards a Generic Model Chapter 4 The Chronology of Early Islam The Ancient Calendar at Mecca and the Origin of the Islamic Calendar 1 The Institution of the Islamic Calendar 2 Intercalation and ‘Postponement’ 3 The Reconstruction of the Ancient Arab Calendar 4 The nasīʾ Formula 5 When Was Intercalation Abandonned? 6 Recapitulation Chapter 5 The Institution of the Jalālī Calendar in 1079 CE and Its Cohabitation with the Older Persian Calendar 1 Introduction 2 The Persian Calendar in Achaemenid, Sasanian and Early Islamic Times 3 Attempts to Reform the Persian Calendar before the Jalalī Reform 4 The Reform of Malikshāh 5 Documentary Evidence for the Jalālī Calendar 6 The Jalālī Calendar in a Broader Context of Time Practices Appendix 1: Arabic Texts Appendix 2: Persian Texts Appendix 3: Turkish Texts Chapter 6 The 247-Year Jewish Calendar Cycle Origins, Diffusion, and Diversity 1 The 247-Year Calendar Cycle, Its Origins and History 2 Attitudes towards the Cycle 3 The Format of 247-Year Cycles 4 The Production of 247-Year Cycles 5 Corrections and Use 6 Public Enquiries 7 The Status of the 247-Year Cycle in Relation to the Calculated Calendar 8 Conclusions Appendix 1: 247-Year Cycles in Different Geo-Cultural Areas Appendix 2: List of Manuscript Sources Index of Calendars and Related Terms General Index "Calendars in the Making investigates the origins of calendars we are most familiar with today, yet whose early histories, in the Roman and medieval periods, are still shrouded in obscurity. It examines when the seven-day week was standardized and first used for dating and time reckoning, in Jewish and other constituencies of the Roman Empire; how the Christian liturgical calendar was constructed in early medieval Europe; and how and when the Islamic calendar was instituted. The volume includes studies of Roman provincial calendars, medieval Persian calendar reforms, and medieval Jewish calendar cycles. Edited by Sacha Stern, it presents the original research of a team of leading experts in the field. Contributors are: François de Blois, Ilaria Bultrighini, Sacha Stern, Johannes Thomann, Nadia Vidro, Immo Warntjes"-- Provided by publisher Calendars in the Making investigates the Roman and medieval origins of several calendars we are most familiar with today, including the Christian liturgical calendar, the Islamic calendar, and the week as a standard method of dating and time reckoning.