[[User:Angellight 888|Angellight 888]] 21:40, October 17, 2008 (UTC)
== 5508 BC or 5509 BC? ==
The corresponding page on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etos_Kosmou, states that the Byzantine world era began on 5509 BCE instead of the 5508 BC mentioned here. Is there any basis for selecting one over the other?
On the page http://homepage.mac.com/paulstephenson/trans/scyl2.html, which is footnoted in the article, a note states that "By the time Skylitzes wrote a unified system was widely recognized, according to which the world was created 5508 years before the Incarnation, or more precisely on 1 September 5509 BC". It also states that "31 August 1999 ends the year AM 7507". Which would make Sept. 1, 1999 the beginning of the year AM 7508, and September 1, 2008 (old style) the beginning of the year AM 7517.
I have a picture of an Old Believer calendar from September 2005 that shows that the new year of 7514 from the creation of Adam began on September 14, 2005. This would make Sept. 14, 2008 the beginning of the year 7517 AM.
:Thanks for the info. The ''Creation Era'' actually does span '''two years''' of the ''Christian Era'', from the point of view of the ''Christian Era''. The statement in the article that AD 2000 was 7508 was partially correct (for the first half of the year); however strictly speaking, yes, September 1st 2000 did begin the year 7509 AM, and September 1st 2008 began the year 7517 AM.
:This is supported by the primary sources (in translation) quoted in the article, Skylitzes and Choniates. Choniates refers to AD 1204 as 6712 AM:
::"The queen of cities fell to the Latins on the twelfth day of the month of April of the seventh indiction in the year 6712 [1204]."
:::Sept. 1203 = 6712 AM; Sept. 2008 = 7517 AM
:::'''Apr. 1204 = 6712 AM'''; Apr. 2009 = 7517 AM
:Therefore the following chart for simplicity and clarity can be given:
<small>
:* '''SEP. 5509 BC = 1 AM'''
:* JAN. 5508 BC = '''1 AM'''
<br>
:* JAN. 1 BC = 5508 AM
:* '''SEPT. 1 BC = 5509 AM'''
:* JAN. AD 1 = '''5509 AM'''
<br>
:* JAN. AD 2000 = 7508 AM
:* '''SEP. AD 2000 = 7509 AM'''
:* JAN. AD 2001 = '''7509 AM'''
<br>
:* JAN. AD 2008 = 7516 AM
:* '''SEP. AD 2008 = 7517 AM'''
:* JAN. AD 2009 = '''7517 AM'''
</small><br>
:I will specify this distiction in the article. If you want to add the Old Believer calendar as a source please do so.
:Cheers,
:[[User:Angellight 888|Angellight 888]] 03:46, January 13, 2009 (UTC)
