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precedent before them. On the theory that the Sabbath was really Saturn's day, it would be clear that the first hour of that day belonged to Saturn and the rest followed as a matter of course. There is also another possibility which I think should be mentioned, though I do not wish to lay much stress upon it. I have already said that Vettius Valens gives directions for finding the day of the week of any given day in any given year. I may now add that he takes as his basis the 'first year of Augustus,' and assumes that this began with a Sunday. Now we know from other sources that the reformed Egyptian calendar was dated from what is called the first year of Augustus, that is the year in which he entered Alexandria after his victory over Antony and Cleopatra. This entry actually took place on August 1st, 30 B.C., but as the Egyptian year begins with the month of Thoth, which almost coincides with our September, the Augustan era of Egypt was calculated from the 1st of Thoth 30 B.C. There has been some controversy as to whether this was August 30th or 31st. Mommsen (rightly, I believe) decided in favour of the latter, though he does not seem to have known the passage in Valens, which, I think, must decide the controversy finally. For any one who takes the trouble, and it is no more, to calculate[1],
- ↑ Those who have no access to chronological tables like those of Sir H. Nicholas or Mr J. J. Bond, and are unfamiliar with such calculations, may find the matter simplified by
