I agree about the very common division of the year into 360 days (and nights), plus 5 additive days (sometimes called epagomenoi). It also existed in Ancient Egypt. On the other hand, the 12 months are not the 28 days months, which are sideral months (the moon passes through all the constellations/naksatras in about 27,5 days), but the synodic months during which the moon goes from one relative position to the sun - by instance a full moon - to the next similar position, through last quarter, new moon and first quarter. The synodic duration, of 29,5 days approximately, is much closer to 30 days. This was already known by the Vedanga Jyotisa, although the duration of the year is 366 days in that case.

Jean Michel Delire, University of Brussels

That's true Dominik, but we must consider that any tradition that counts

the days in a year ends up with 360 days, a good divisible number, plus

5. It happens in Mesoamerican calendars, where those "extra" days are

considered negative or empty. They are called /nemontemi/ in Nahuatl.

So a symbolical year of 360 plus days doesn't automatically mean that

its origin is Mesopotamian. 360 can easily be divided by 12 to give 12

months, and this can be correlated with the 27/28 days in a lunar

cycle/month. It is not a perfect fit, which is why most calendars end up

being soli-lunar, with either extra months or days. But 360 is a good

symbolical number in a decimal system in addition to its importance as a

sexagesimal one.

Luis

_____

On 3/18/2016 12:17 PM, Dominik Wujastyk wrote:

The reference to 360 spokes is a sexagesimal number expressed in

decimal.  This certainly points to the mathematical traditions of

Mesopotamia.

--

Professor Dominik Wujastyk* <http://ualberta.Academia.edu/DominikWujastyk>

Singhmar Chair in Classical Indian Society and Polity

Department of History and Classics

<http://historyandclassics.ualberta.ca/>

University of Alberta, Canada

On 18 March 2016 at 08:52, George Thompson <gthomgt@gmail.com

<mailto:gthomgt@gmail.com>> wrote:

   Hello all,

   Madhav's passage is RV 1.164.11.  By chance, I've been looking at

   this hymn today.

   George Thompson

   On Fri, Mar 18, 2016 at 9:04 AM, Madhav Deshpande

   <mmdesh@umich.edu <mailto:mmdesh@umich.edu>> wrote:

       The idea of a rotating wheel of time goes all the way back to

       the Rigveda: dv?da??ra? na hi taj jar?ya vavarti cakram pari

       dy?m ?tasya (don't have the textual ref at hand).  The idea of

       the spokes of the wheel going up and down is referred to in

       Sanskrit lit in many places with expressions like

       cakra-nemi-krama and cakr?rapa?kti.

       Madhav Deshpande

       On Fri, Mar 18, 2016 at 8:42 AM, Artur Karp <karp@uw.edu.pl

       <mailto:karp@uw.edu.pl>> wrote:

           Dear List,

           Mahabharata I, 29. 2-5 and Sumangalavilasini

           (Buddhaghosa's commentary to Mahaparinibbana-sutta)  VI,

           26  contain images of a revolving wheel (with 360?

           spokes), guarded by figures with swords in hands, and by

           two serpents. Vi?vakarma/Vissakamma is mentioned as the

           wheel's constructor.

           Is that - or similar - image present somewhere else in the

           ancient Indian literature?

           Thanks in advance for your comments -

           Artur Karp

           South Asian Studies Deptt (emeritus), University of

           Warsaw, Poland

           _______________________________________________

           INDOLOGY mailing list

           INDOLOGY@list.indology.info

           <mailto:INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>

           indology-owner@list.indology.info

           <mailto:indology-owner@list.indology.info> (messages to

           the list's managing committee)

           http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your

           list options or unsubscribe)

       --

       Madhav M. Deshpande

       Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics

       Department of Asian Languages and Cultures

       202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111

       The University of Michigan

       Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA

       _______________________________________________

       INDOLOGY mailing list

       INDOLOGY@list.indology.info <mailto:INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>

       indology-owner@list.indology.info

       <mailto:indology-owner@list.indology.info> (messages to the

       list's managing committee)

       http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list

       options or unsubscribe)

   _______________________________________________

   INDOLOGY mailing list

   INDOLOGY@list.indology.info <mailto:INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>

   indology-owner@list.indology.info

   <mailto:indology-owner@list.indology.info> (messages to the list's

   managing committee)

   http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list

   options or unsubscribe)

_______________________________________________

INDOLOGY mailing list

INDOLOGY@list.indology.info

indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)

http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)