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Attic months

From:Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Date:Monday, January 2, 2006, 15:14
I'm creating an alternate world where (even more of) Greek culture
became globally dominant.  Unfortunately, as I have mentioned on here
before, my knowledge of Greek is abysmal.  So this is more of a
learning exercise than a result-oriented one.

In this world, the dominant calendar is based on the old Greek
lunisolar one, specifically, the Attic/Athenian version.  It has
evolved a precise definition much like that of the Chinese calendar in
the real world: the month begins on the date (in Athens) of the
lunisolar conjunction, and the year begins with the first month after
the summer solstice.  Whenever there are more than twelve lunations
between summer solstices there is a thirteenth month, which doesn't
get its own name but rather is a doubling of one of the normal twelve,
chosen so as to keep the Sun in the current month's corresponding
zodiac sign all year.  The era is that of the first Olympiad.

So far, so good.  My problem is the month names: I can only find
transliterated versions in references, but  I'm trying to identify the
original Greek-alphabet spelling.   (My next task will be to figure
out what they might have turned into in Modern Greek.)

Here's what seems to be the most authoritative version of the names,
along with the corresponding traditional Zodiac sign.  Any help
reconstructing the native spelling would be appreciated.

Hekatombaion  (Cancer)
Metageitnion     (Leo)
Boedromion      (Virgo)
Pyanepsion      (Libra)
Maimakterion   (Scorpio)
Poseideon        (Sagittarius)
Gamelion          (Capricorn)
Anthesterion     (Aquarius)
Elaphebolion   (Pisces)
Mounichion      (Aries)
Thargelion        (Taurus)
Skirophorion    (Gemini)

--
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>

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R A Brown <ray@...>