Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c13.15

c13.15

The introduction of the Julian reckoning must have been confined to Syria and the western provinces of the Seleukidan empire, which had been annexed to Rome. But in the Eastern provinces, which then formed the Parthian empire, the luni-solar reckoning still maintained its place. This is proved most conclusively by the following facts. It was the custom of the later Parthian kings to date all their large silver coins with the month and year of their issue. The names of all the twelve Macedonian months have thus been found on the coins of the Parthian kings. There are a few slight differences, such as Xandikus for Xanthikus, and Soloîus for Loüs. But on one coin of Vologeses III, I find the name of EMBOAI, which can only be that of the intercalary or embolismic month.* This is accompanied with the date OY or 490, or A.D. 178-9, in which year there was an intercalary month according to my table. It is clear, therefore, that, up to this late period, the people of the Parthian empire still continued to use the luni-solar reckoning of the Macedonian Calendar.