Calendars and Eras

ISRAEL IN TIME CALENDARS

Reference Calendars and Eras

How the dates in this book are counted, and the names historians give to the periods.

Every date in this book is given in the Common Era, with BCE for the years before it. The numbering is the same as BC and AD, with no year zero, so 1 BCE is followed directly by 1 CE. The letter c. means circa, or about. Dates before 1000 BCE are traditional or approximate, and scholars often differ by a few years on the reigns of kings.

Three ways of counting years

CALENDAR HOW IT WORKS YEAR IN 2027

Gregorian Solar. Introduced in 1582 and used in Israel for civil life alongside the Hebrew calendar. 2027

Hebrew Lunisolar, with months that follow the moon and a leap month added seven times every 19 years. Years are counted from the traditional date of creation, which falls in 3761 BCE. The year begins in autumn, in the month of Tishrei.

5787, then 5788 from autumn

Islamic (Hijri) Purely lunar, about 11 days shorter than the solar year. Years are counted from the Hijra of 622 CE. It

dates events under the caliphs, Mamluks and Ottomans.

1448 to 1449

Julian The older solar calendar, 12 to 13 days behind the Gregorian one in the modern era. Russian and Orthodox sources used it until 1918, so a pogrom or an arrival may carry two dates.

none

The twelve Hebrew months

Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. In a leap year there are two months of Adar. Holidays begin at sundown the evening before the date, because the Hebrew day runs from evening to evening.

Conventional names for the eras

ERA APPROXIMATE YEARS WHAT MARKS IT

Early and Middle Bronze 3300 to 1550 BCE City states of Canaan, the age of the patriarchs by tradition

Late Bronze 1550 to 1200 BCE Egyptian rule, then the collapse of the great powers

Iron Age 1200 to 586 BCE The Israelites, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Assyria and Babylon

Persian 539 to 332 BCE The return from exile and the Second Temple

Hellenistic 332 to 63 BCE Alexander’s successors and the Hasmoneans

Roman and Byzantine 63 BCE to 638 CE Herod, the revolts, the Christian empire

Early Islamic 638 to 1099 Umayyads, Abbasids and Fatimids

Crusader and Mamluk 1099 to 1517 The Latin kingdom, Saladin, rule from Cairo

Ottoman 1517 to 1917 Four centuries as a province of the empire

British Mandate 1917 to 1948 The Balfour Declaration to independence