Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/309

 CIIALD.EAN PRIESTS AT BABYLON. 293 (747 B. c.), as well as respecting the extent of their acquired knowledge, so largely blended with astrological fancies and occult influences of the heavenly bodies on human affairs. But howevei incomplete their knowledge may appear when judged by the standard of after-times, there can be no doubt, that compared with any of their contemporaries of the sixth century B. c. either Egyptians, Greeks, or Asiatics they stood preeminent, and had much to teach, not only to Thales and Pythagoras, but of accession of the kings, or that of astronomical phenomena observed, ex ccpt the days and months of this lunar year. In the reign of Nubonassar, the astronomers at Babylon introduced (not into civil use, but for their own purposes and records) the Egyptian solar year, of three hundred and sixty five days, or twelve months of thirty days each, with five added days, begin- ning with the first of the month Thoth, the commencement of the Egyptian year, and they thus first obtained a continuous and accurate mode of mark- ing the date of events. It is not meant that the Chaldseans then for the first time obtained from the Egyptians the knowledge of the solar year of thrco hundred and sixty-five days, but that they then for the first time adopted it in their notation of time for astronomical purposes, fixing the precise moment at which they began. Nor is there the least reason to suppose that the era of Nabonassar coincided with any political revolution or change of dynasty. Ideler discusses this point (pp. 146-173, and Handbuch der Chronol. pp. 215-220). Syncellus might correctly say 'A.6 Naflovaaupov roiif xpovovt, TT]<; TUV uarpuv Trapar^p^creuf Xa/l<JaZo4 TjKpifiuaav (Chronogr. p. 207). We need not dwell upon the back reckonings of the Chaldseans for pe- riods of 720,000, 490,000, 470,000 years, mentioned by Cicero, Diodorus, and Pliny (Cicero, De Divin. ii, 46; Diod. ii, 31 ; Pliny, H. N. vii, 57), and seemingly presented by Berosus and others as the preface of Babylonian history. It is to be noted that Ptolemy always cited the Chaldaean observations as made by " the Chaldceans" never naming any individual ; though in all the other observations to which he alludes, he is very scrupulous in particulariz- ing the name of the observer. Doubtless he found the Chaldsean observa- tions registered just in this manner ; a point which illustrates what is said in the text respecting the collective character of their civilization, and the want of individual development or prominent genius. The superiority of the Chaldaean priests to the Egyptian, as astronomica observers, is shown by the fact that Ptolemy, though living at Alexandria, never mentions the latter as astronomers, and cites no Egyptian observations while he cites thirteen Chaldaean observations in the years B. c. 721, 720 523, 502, 491, 383, 382, 245, 237, 229 : the first ten being observations of lunar eclipses ; the last three, of conjunctions of planets and fixed stars (Ideler, Handbuch der Chronologic, vol. i, Ab. ii, pp. 195-199).