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Given the difficulties in restoration, the statement of Pollux, and the fact that the large majority of prytany dates do match the civil dates, one is inclined to the opinion that the prytany dates and civil dates were, in fact, the same during these periods. This matter may be resolved in the future. |
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The period of 13 prytanies extends from 223 to 201 B.C. The epigraphical material is scanty. Pritchett and Neugebauer (p. 89) construct the following table for common years: |
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| Prytany Number | Prytany Length | | 28 | | 28 | | 28 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 | | 27 ± 1 |
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In the matter of intercalary years during the period of 13 phylae, the intercalation of a 13th month would cause the 13 prytanies and the 13 civil months to course in parallel. This scheme matches the epigraphic evidence in most cases but cannot be considered proven. |
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In summary, the Athenian calendar presents several difficulties in reconstruction and may be insoluble, in the sense that a complete solution, relating dates for every year, month, and day to corresponding Julian Day numbers, can never be produced with confidence. More likely, a calendar in which only certain parts, such as year endings and certain attested dates, are exactly known will have to satisfy. These known parts have the effect of creating periodic constraints on the behavior of the unknown parts and limiting the range of our uncertainty about them. |
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As noted above, the most promising path for additional progress in this area would seem to be the use of paleoastronomical techniques. |
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The Chinese calendar is a problem calendar for several reasons: |
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1.) The Chinese calendar bases the start of its New Year, and the start of all months, on the actual astronomical new moon. It is therefore a lunar calendar, but unlike the |
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