Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

164 AST R ON OMIA. A STRON OMIA.
Aeschylus (Prom)wl. 453) and Aristophanes (aI. period which inmmediately preceded autumn and
7 10) the seasons are spoken of as three, XEtlycC', merged ill it.
Eap, ee'pos by the former; XetcL~, op, a, rcopa by W~e discover also in the Greek medical writers
the latter. Nor can we avoid attaching some traces of a sevenfold division, although there is no
weight to the fact that the most ancient poets and evidence to prove that it was ever generally
artists recognised the'12pat as three only, bearing, adopted. According to this distribution, summer
according to the Theogony (901) the symbolical is divided into two parts, and winter into three,
appellation of Order (Eiuboxtea), Justice (Anc77), and we have, 1. Spring (Eap). 2. Early summer
and blooming Peace (Eips'v/). Indeed Pausanias (aEipos). 3. Late summer (S7rcpa). 4. Autumn
has preserved a record of a time when the "ipat ((pOtv7rcpoYv s. esr&7rcopov). 5. The ploughing or
were known as two goddesses only - Kaprdrb, the sowing season (&poTos s. o7roP77's). 6. Winter
patroness of fruits, and aAAcX, the guardian of proper (XEIt/LL' ). 7. The planting season (uvblossoms (ix. 35. ~ 2). We may hence safely paXia).
conclude that the Greeks for many ages discrimi- From Varro (R. R. i. 28), Columella (ix. 14.
nated three seasons only, Winter, Spring, and xi. 2), and Pliny (xviii. 25) we infer that Julius
Summer, that the general name for the whole of Caesar, in his Calendar, selected an eight-fold
surmmer being tipos, the hottest portion was dis- division, each of the four seasons being subdivided
tinguished as 67rcvpa, and that the latter term was into two, after this manner: I. Veris Initiunz.
gradually separated from the former, so that [aEpos 2. Aequinoctizum Vernum. 3. Aestatis Iuitium. 4.
was commnonlly employed for early summer, and Solstitiztm. 5. Autumzni Initium. 6. Aequzinoctiums:orclpa for late summer. Autuenoi. 7. Hiensiis Initizln. 8. Brumna.
The first direct mention of autumn is contained We find no trace in Homer of any connection
in the treatise De Diueta (lib. iii. &c.), commonly having been established between the recurrence of
ascribed to Hippocrates (B. c. 420), where we are particular astronomical phenomena, and the return
told that the year is usually divided into four parts, of the seasons. But in Hesiod, as remarked
Winter (XEfiy'v), Spring (elap), Summer (bE'pos), above, and in subsequent writers, the limits of the
Autuamn (cOs'niYrpov); and this word with its divisions which they adopt are carefully defined by
synonym.sUEri'wpov occurs regularly from this time the risings and settings of particular stars or conforward, proving that those by whom they were stellations. The following tabular arrangement
framed considered 7rupa, not as autumn, but as the will afford a view of the most important systems:
Division of the Seasons according to flesiod.
Commencement of spring - The evening (icpoKaicpatos) rising of Arcturus 60 days after the winter
solstice (Er#. 564).
Commencement of summer (Heliacal) rising of the Pleiads after they have remained concealed for
~ (aurTos) or reaping time 40 days and 40 nights (Erg. 383).
Thrashing time - (Heliacal) rising of the first star in Orion (Erg. 595).
Period of most oppressive heat (Heliacal) rising of Sirius (Eug. 582, &c.).
End of summer (Ebpos) - Fifty days after the solstice (Erg. 663).
Period of the vintage - (Heliacall) rising of Arcturus. Culmination of Sirius and Orion (Erg. 609).
Commencement of winter, The (morning) setting of the Pleiades (E'rg. 383), of the Hyades, and of
which coincides with Orion (eigy. 615).
ploughing time (aiporos),
and the close of navigation
Accordincg to the Author of tle Treatise De Diaeta."
Commencement of spring - The vernal equinox.
"s 1. summer - Heliacal rising of the Pleisades.
" autumn - Heliacal rising of Arcturus.
("4 winter. Morning setting of Pleiades.
Sevenfold Division, eccording to Hippocrates and other Medical WrSiters.
Commencement of spring The vernal equinox.
s" early summer (hkpos) - Heliacal rising of the Pleiades.
" late summer (hurscpa) - Heliacal rising of Sirius.
" autumn - - - Heliacal rising of Arcturus.
6" ploughing and sowing Morning setting of Pleiades.
season (aiporos l-7ropu7rbs).
Commencement of winter proper (XEu.&,) - Winter solstice.. ". planting season (cvrrahia) Evening rising of Arcturus.
Seasons according to Eucteimon, Eudoxees, and otler Auethors quoted in t7Ie PIarape ae of Gemins,
First breezes of Zephyrus - - - 160 or 170 of Aquarius.
Appearance of the swallow - - - 20 of Pisces.
Appearance of kite (ICTrbs pa.mr&al) - 170 of Pisces (Eud.) — 220 of Pisces (Euctem.).
Commencement of summer - - - 130 of Tlaulrus.
Midwinter - - 14 of Capricornus.