Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c13.38

c13.38

To test the tables, I will take the date of the battle of Arbela, which took place on the twelfth day after an eclipse of the moon, the two armies having been drawn up facing each other on the eleventh night after the eclipse. Now the day of battle has been fixed to the 2nd of October B.C. 331 by the mention of this eclipse. The eclipse took place on the night of 20th of September at full moon, and the new moon, which opened the next Macedonian year, must, therefore, have fallen on the 5th of October. According to my table, the new year’s day fell on the 4th October. We know that the battle took place very near the end of the Macedonian month, as Aristander had foretold that “a battle would be fought in that very month.”* The 2nd of October was the 29th of Gorpiæus, or the last day but one of the month.