The Earliest Known Lunar Calendar
Discovery at Lascaux Caves
Archaeologists discovered the earliest known lunar calendar in the caves at Lascaux, southwest France. This calendar dates back to around 15,000 BC. Various series of spots represent half of the moon’s near-monthly cycle. A large empty square follows these spots, possibly indicating a clear sky.
Get your dose of History via Email
Understanding Lunar Calendars
A lunar calendar counts months based on the moon’s phases. Each month lasts approximately 29.53 days. Months alternate between twenty-nine and thirty days. Occasionally, additional days are added to align with the actual moon phase.
Ancient Lunar Calendars
Some scientists believe that man-made lunar calendars could be as old as 32,000 years. Recent archaeological findings from the Ice Age support this theory. Hunters carved notches and gouged holes into sticks, reindeer bones, and mammoth tusks. These carvings depicted the days between each phase of the moon. These artifacts date between 25,000 and 10,000 BC.
Chinese Lunar Calendars
Surviving astronomical records from the Shang dynasty, dating back to the fourteenth century BC, reveal a Chinese calendar. This calendar included the intercalation of lunar months. These records were inscribed on oracle bones.
Ancient Timekeepers
Sages, Magi, or astrologer-priests usually served as ancient timekeepers. They guarded sacred records in rock temples in India, ziggurats in Babylonia, and stone observatories and pyramids in Egypt. They calculated that a month was the period the moon revolved around the Earth. From this understanding, various lunar calendars evolved.
Evolution of Calendars
Until Julius Caesar’s time, the calendar was primarily lunar. Various schemes were devised to keep step with the cycle of seasons. Lives ebbed and flowed in a 29.53-day cycle. Due to the complexity of lunar cycles, three distinct types of calendars developed.
Types of Calendars
Lunar Calendar
The first type of calendar to come into use was the lunar calendar. This calendar follows the lunar phase cycle without regard for the seasonal or tropical year.
Lunisolar Calendar
The next to come into use was the lunisolar calendar. This calendar is based on the lunar phase cycle. Every few years, a whole 13th month is intercalated to bring the calendar back in phase with the tropical year.
Solar Calendar
The third type of calendar is a solar calendar. This calendar maintains synchronicity with the tropical year. Intercalary days are added every few years to increase the average length of the calendar year, such as in leap years.
Sources:
Edubilla
Research Gate
Chinese Lunar Calendar
Neural Pathways is a collective of seasoned experts and researchers with a profound passion for unraveling the enigmas of ancient history and artifacts. With a wealth of combined experience spanning decades, Neural Pathways has established itself as a leading voice in the realm of archaeological exploration and interpretation.