Era's : These days we
think we have quite a few : the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Chinese etc.
They (yep : Greeks and Romans) also had quite a few. Some are forgotten,
some we do not know much about. But in our coin world some turn up now
and then :
- Alexandrian (click here)
- Anazarbean (a.k.a. Pompeian - Cilician) :
Very unclear why some called it Pompeian since the old man died 48 BC and
the Anazarbean's year 1 started Autumn 19 (BC). This was however the
year when it was awarded the
name Caesarea.
So 1 PCE = -19 / -18 BC. As in
Here.
- Caesarian :
Must be clear why it was called like that, though I am not sure if all
the places who dated back to him did have some connection with him. Aigeai
in Cilicia (Pedias) used this type of era. In their case it starts 47/46 BC. Though some other cities take 50/49
BC as starting date. As in
Here.
- Gaza :
Gaza's city era began 61-60 BC, which indeed makes it 'kind of' a Pompeian Era,
which began 63 BC. We know the local era because there a few coins with
a double date, together with the Hadrianic dating. I have a coin ogf
Gaza, but not dated their own
way.
- Pompeian :
Used by Hellenistic cities in Roman Palestine, in particular the cities
of the Decapolis. The calendar counted the years from the conquest of
the Roman general Pompey in 63 BCE. Many of these cities had been
autonomous poleis before the Jewish Hasmoneans conquered them in the 2nd
century BCE. The conquering Romans 'restored' their autonomy, which to
them amounted to a "new foundation" of the cities. Some other
nearby cities, such as Philadelphia, adopted the era even though they
had never been under Hasmonean rule. Though Damascus continued to reckon
dates using the Seleucid era. The region continued to use the Pompeian
era well into the Muslim period. A church in Khilda, near Philadelphia
(Amman), is inscribed with the Pompeian year 750, or 687 CE, several
years after the Muslim conquest. Year one is therefore 1 PE = 63 BCE,
then again 63 PE = 1 BCE. As Here.
- Seuleucid :
This era starts with the return of Seleucus I Nicator to Babylon in 311 BC after his
exile in Ptolemaic Egypt, considered by Seleucus and his court to mark the foundation of the
Seleucid Empire.
For most Seuleucids the year commenced 3rd of (our) April, meaning that year 1 SE (Seleucid Era)
corresponds roughly from April 311 BC to March 310 BC.
The Macedonian court however reckoned the new year to start in autumn (derived from the Babylonians).
Their year 1 SE ran from autumn 312 BC to summer 311 BC.
- Vespasian (?) :
Flaviopolis' era started with the date it's name-giver (Vespasian), who organized the province in
AD 74. It's era begins in the autumn of A.D. 73 or 74. See Here.
- More cities had their own era's. As Dora, Samaria
(year 1 starting 64/63 B.C. (variation on Pompeian)); Philadelphia,
Syria (year 1 starting 63 B.C. (variation on Pompeian)); Neapolis,
Samaria (year 1 starting 72 or 73 A.D.); Chalcis, Chalcidice, Syria
(year 1 starting 92 A.D.); Capitolias, Decapolis (year 1 starting 97 A.D.)
or Provincial Arabia (year 1 starting 106 A.D.).
- And (see Alexandria) it was quite normal to count the years with the
advent of the reign of the new emperor. Which was anything from 1 (
quite an emperor) up to 40 (Augustus)
