How Armenians Measured Sacred Time
Explore the traditional Armenian calendar, from the victory of Hayk to a year of thirteen months, named days, and named hours.
Creation of the Calendar
When we talk about an event, it is important to know not only where it happened but also when it happened. The study of how people measure and organize time is called calendarology.
In the earliest days of human history, people measured time by the cycle of day and night. Daytime was used for work, while nighttime was for rest. As civilizations developed, people began measuring time by the phases of the moon. According to the Armenian scholar Anania Shirakatsi, this method may also have been used in ancient Armenia.
The Armenian Beginning
Although some historians question Alishan’s calculation, 2492 BC remains widely accepted as the traditional starting point of the Armenian calendar. The old pagan calendar gradually fell out of use after Christianity became the official religion of Armenia in the early 4th century, but medieval scholars preserved its memory for future generations.
How the Year Was Built
Armenians used a calendar structure similar to Persian and Egyptian systems: twelve regular months of 30 days each, followed by a thirteenth month of 5 or 6 days depending on the year.
Days and Hours
Seven Weekdays
In pagan times, the weekdays were named after the sun, the moon, and the five known planets.Thirty Month Days
Every regular day of the month had its own name, connected in tradition with the Armenian pantheon.Twenty-Four Hours
The day was divided into named nighttime and daytime hours, creating a poetic map of time.Name Explorer
Calendar Timeline
People first measured time through the natural cycle of day and night, then through the phases of the moon.
Movses Khorenatsi wrote that King Artashes encouraged the development of many fields of knowledge, including calendars.
Julius Caesar asked Sosigenes to create the Julian Calendar, based on a solar year of 365 1/4 days.
Ghevond Alishan calculated August 11, 2492 BC as the traditional beginning of the Armenian calendar.
After Christianity became Armenia’s official religion, the ancient pagan calendar gradually fell out of everyday use.
Armenians celebrated the 4,500th anniversary of the traditional Armenian calendar.
