Historically Accurate Calendars

[oudysseos]

First- I am not asking the dev team to change the 'Year XXX BC' anachronism like I did in an earlier thread- but- I have become interested in the topic and have been doing a little research into how the various cultures/factions kept track of time.

Romans- named the years after the consuls, also dated from the founding of the city. I have a list of the consuls that covers the entire period of the games.

Greek Cities- many different calendars for different purposes (and different again for each city) but the Olympiad was common to all,also often dated by astronomical events (star calendars), but the greeks did not seem to be much interested in numbering the years.

Macedonian Factions- Had different month names than the Attic calendar but probably counted the years in much the same way or used a regnal system (i.e. Year X in the Reign of Y)

Seleucus Nicator created a new calendar in 312 BC based largely on the Babylonian calnedar with some Macedonian refinements. THe years were counted up from that date.

Ptolemy- Don't know yet, may have used both an Egyptian and a Hellenic Calendar
Barbarian Factions- Don't know yet
Parthians/Armenians- Don't know really but I have a few bits of info
Pontus- probably dated by regnal years, possibly from 281 BC when Mithridates I Ctistes first called himself basileus of Pontus. Don't know what they did for month names.

Carthage- This is why I'm posting. Finding hard info about Carthage, either online or in the library has proved to be very hard. The only progress that I've made is the assumption made in several books that Sidon and Tyre (Phoenician cities) would have used a semitic calendar similar to the jewish one. I'm not convinced about that, and anyway I don't think that there was much contemporary contact between Carthage and old Phoenicia. So does anybody know how the Carthaginians may have kept track of time?

[Arman616]

some info on the persian/parthian/iranian calender

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_calendar

[VandalCarthage]

The Ptolemies reckoned their dates from reigns as well mate, though they shifted every which way depending on who'd recently come to power - same for the Seleucids actually.

Seleucus Nicator created a new calendar in 312 BC based largely on the Babylonian calnedar with some Macedonian refinements. THe years were counted up from that date.

The Seleucids actually imposed a new and more efficient lunar calendar on all their holdings, which was apparently so efficient that it was permanently adopted by most even after they'd lost power.