Julian year (calendar)
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A Julian year is on average 365.25 days long. The Julian calendar was in use for many centuries as the principal dating method used in Europe until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar modified the Julian calendar because the mean year in the Julian Calendar was slightly too long, causing the vernal equinox to slowly drift backwards in the calendar year. By the late 16th century the vernal equinox had drifted backward by 10 days from year 325 and the Catholic feastday of Easter was out of phase with the lunar calendar by 4 days.
As many countries adopted 1 January as the beginning of the calendar year at different times and at different years, the dates given in articles about transition periods, or historical documents from those periods, may use Old Style or New Style dates.
Introduction
The dominant method that the Romans used to identify a year for dating purposes was to name it after the two consuls who took office in it. Since 153 BC, they had taken office on 1 January, and Julius Caesar did not change the beginning of the year. Thus this consular year was an eponymous or named year. Roman years were named this way until the last consul was appointed in 541. Only rarely did the Romans number the year from the founding of the city (of Rome), ab urbe condita (AUC). This method was used by Roman historians to determine the number of years from one event to another, not to date a year. Different historians had several different dates for the founding. The Fasti Capitolini, an inscription containing an official list of the consuls which was published by Augustus, used an epoch of 752 BC. The epoch used by Varro, 753 BC, has been adopted by modern historians. Indeed, Renaissance editors often added it to the manuscripts that they published, giving the false impression that the Romans numbered their years. Most modern historians tacitly assume that it began on the day the consuls took office, and ancient documents such as the Fasti Capitolini which use other AUC systems do so in the same way. However, the Varronian AUC year did not formally begin on 1 January, but on Founder's Day, 21 April. This prevented the early Roman church from celebrating Easter after 21 April because the festivities associated with Founder's Day conflicted with the solemnity of Lent, which was observed until the Saturday before Easter Sunday.
In addition to consular years, the Romans sometimes used the regnal year of the emperor. Anno Diocletiani, named after Diocletian, was often used by the Alexandrian Christians to number their Easters during the fourth and fifth centuries. In AD 537, Justinian required that henceforth the date must include the name of the emperor, in addition to the indiction and the consul (the latter ending only four years later). The indiction caused the Byzantine year to begin on 1 September, which is still used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for the beginning of the liturgical year.
Julian era
- See also Calendar era
Julian start of the year
With the introduction of anno Domini by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525 the years were numbered from the supposed date of the incarnation or annunciation of Jesus on 25 March, although this soon changed to Christmas.
During the Middle Ages 1 January was given the name New Year's Day (or an equivalent name) in all Western European countries (affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church), even while most of those countries began their numbered year on 25 December (the Nativity of Jesus), then 25 March (the Incarnation of Jesus), and even Easter, as in France. This name was the result of always displaying the months of the medieval calendar from January to December (in twelve columns containing 28 to 31 days each), just like the Romans did.
Most Western European countries (except for a few Italian states) shifted the first day of their numbered year to 1 January while they were still using the Julian calendar, before they adopted the Gregorian calendar, many during the sixteenth century. Eastern European countries (affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on 1 September (from about 988).
Old Style and New Style dates
- Main article Old Style and New Style dates
See also
Further reading
- [Calendopaedia - New Year's Day]
- [The Julian Calendar during the Dark and Middle Ages]
- [Roman Calendar]
- [Roman Dates]
Footnotes
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