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Assyrian calendar

{{Short description|Solar calendar used by modern Assyrian people}}

{{For|the calendar of the ancient Assyrians|Old Assyrian calendar}}

{{Lead too short|date=May 2024}}

The Assyrian calendar ({{langx|syr|ܣܘܼܪܓܵܕ݂ܵܐ ܐܵܬ݂ܘܿܪܵܝܵܐ}} {{Transliteration|sem|sūrgāḏā ʾĀṯōrāyā}}) is a solar calendar used by modern Assyrian people.

History

Historically and also in some sources in the modern day, Assyrians dated their calendar according to the Seleucid era ({{langx|syr|ܕܝܲܘܢܵܝܹ̈ܐ}} {{Transliteration|sem|d-yawnāyē}}, literally "of the Greeks"), beginning on the first day of {{Transliteration|sem|Tešrīn Qḏīm}} in 312 BC.{{Cite book|last=Coakley|first=C. F.|title=Robinson's Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0-19-968717-6|edition=sixth|location=Oxford|pages=148}}

The modern Assyrian calendar, however, uses a different reckoning: 4750 BC was set as its first year in the 1950s,{{Cite book|url=https://www.academia.edu/7933079|chapter=Far from Aram-Nahrin: The Suryoye Diaspora Experience|title=Border Terrains: World Diasporas in the 21st Century|first=Marta|last=Wozniak|editor-first=Allyson|editor-last=Eamer|publisher=Inter-Disciplinary Press, Oxford|year=2012|isbn= 978-1-84888-117-4|page=78}} based on a series of articles published in the Assyrian nationalist magazine Gilgamesh; the first came in 1952 and written by Nimrod Simono and dealt with the Akitu festival, then an article by Jean Alkhas in 1955 (April, issue 34) fixed the year 4750 BC as the starting point.{{Cite journal|title=Tasheeta d'zoyakha d'rish sheta Khatta d'Atoraye w'Bawlaye (Part II) [Assyrian and Babylonian New Year Celebrations (Part II)]|journal=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies|first=Robert|last=Paulissian|volume=13|issue=2|year=1999|issn=1055-6982|page=35}} Alkhas referenced his information to a French archaeologist, whom he did not name, as stating that a cuneiform tablet dating to 4750 BC mentioned the year of the calming of the great flood and beginning of life.{{Cite journal|title=Modern Festival, Ancient Tradition|journal=Nakosha|first=Sennacherib|last=Daniel|volume=39|year=2001|oclc=49885037|page=3|url=http://www.learnassyrian.com/assyrianlibrary/assyrianbooks/Magazines/Nakosha%20Magazine/nakosha39.pdf}}

New year

The year begins with the first sight of Spring. In the Julian calendar, the vernal equinox moved gradually away from 21 March. The Gregorian calendar reform restored the vernal equinox to its original date, but since the festival was by now tied to the date, not the astronomical event, Kha b-Nisan remains fixed at 21 March in the Julian reckoning, corresponding to 1 April in the Gregorian calendar.[https://books.google.com/books?id=9hhmzVrYPHAC&dq=new+year+nisan+akitu&pg=PA117 E. Elochukwu Uzukwu. Worship as Body Language: Introduction to Christian Worship : an African. Published by Liturgical Press, 1997.] and the calendar adopted by the ancient Assyrians had the month "Nisan" at the beginning of the calendarWilliam Ricketts Cooper. "An Archaic Dictionary: biographical, historical and mythological: from the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Etruscan monuments". Published by S. Bagster and Sons, 1876. lending to the term "Kha b-Nisan", or the "first of Nisan".

Months

class="wikitable"

|+Assyrian calendar

!Season

!Syriac

!Transliteration

!Arabic Julian/Gregorian equivalent

(see {{Section link|Arabic names of Gregorian months|Iraq and the Levant}})

!Hebrew calendar equivalent

!English Julian/Gregorian equivalent

rowspan="3" |Spring

|{{lang|syc|ܐܵܕܲܪ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|ʾĀḏar}}

|{{lang|ar|آذَار}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĀḏār}})

|{{lang|he|אֲדָר}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĂḏār}})

|March

{{lang|syc|ܢܝܼܣܵܢ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Nīsān}}

|{{lang|ar|نِيسَان}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Nīsān}}) or {{lang|ar|نَيْسَان}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Naysān}})

|{{lang|he|נִיסָן}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Nīsān}})

|April

{{lang|syc|ܐܝܼܵܪ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|ʾĪyār}}

|{{lang|ar|أَيَّار}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾAyyār}})

|{{lang|he|אִיָּר}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĪyyār}})

|May

rowspan="3" |Summer

|{{lang|syc|ܚܙܝܼܪܵܢ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Ḥzīrān}}

|{{lang|ar|حَزِيرَان}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Ḥazīrān}}) or {{lang|ar|حُزَيْرَان}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Ḥuzayrān}})

|{{lang|he|סִיוָן}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Sīwān}})

|June

{{lang|syc|ܬܲܡܘܼܙ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Tammūz}}

|{{lang|ar|تَمُّوز}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Tammūz}})

|{{lang|he|תַּמּוּז}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Tammūz}})

|July

{{lang|syc|ܐܵܒ\ܛܲܒܵܚ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|ʾĀb/Ṭabbāḥ}}

|{{lang|ar|آب}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĀb}})

|{{lang|he|אָב}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĀḇ}})

|August

rowspan="3" |Autumn

|{{lang|syc|ܐܝܼܠܘܼܠ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|ʾĪlūl}}

|{{lang|ar|أَيْلُول}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾAylūl}})

|{{lang|he|אֱלוּל}} ({{Transliteration|sem|ʾĔlūl}})

|September

{{lang|syc|ܬܸܫܪܝܼܢ ܐ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Tešrīn Qḏīm}}

|{{lang|ar|تِشْرِين ٱلْأَوَّل}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Tišrīn al-ʾAwwal}})

|{{lang|he|תִּשׁרִי}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Tišrī}})

|October

{{lang|syc|ܬܸܫܪܝܼܢ ܒ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Tešrīn [ʾ]Ḥrāy}}

|{{lang|ar|تِشْرِين ٱلثَّانِي}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Tišrīn aṯ-Ṯānī}})

|{{lang|he|מַרְחֶשְׁוָן}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Marḥešwān}})

|November

rowspan="3" |Winter

|{{lang|syc|ܟܵܢܘܿܢ ܐ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Kānōn Qḏīm}}

|{{lang|ar|كَانُون ٱلْأَوَّل}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Kānūn al-ʾAwwal}})

|{{lang|he|כִּסְלֵו}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Kislēw}})

|December

{{lang|syc|ܟܵܢܘܿܢ ܒ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Kānōn [ʾ]Ḥrāy}}

|{{lang|ar|كَانُون ٱلثَّانِي}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Kānūn aṯ-Ṯānī}})

|{{lang|he|טֵבֵת}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Ṭēḇēṯ}})

|January

{{lang|syc|ܫܒ݂ܵܛ}}

|{{Transliteration|sem|Šḇāṭ}}

|{{lang|ar|شُبَاط}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Šubāṭ}})

|{{lang|he|שְׁבָט}} ({{Transliteration|sem|Šḇāṭ}})

|February

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{Calendars}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assyrian Calendar}}

Category:Specific calendars