To the twelve Lunar months [54] the ancient _Greeks_ added a thirteenth, every other year, which made their _Dieteris_; and because this reckoning made their year too long by a month in eight years, they omitted an intercalary month once in eight years, which made their _Octaeteris_, one half of which was their _Tetraeteris_: And these Periods seem to have been almost as old as the religions of _Greece_, being used in divers of their _Sacra_. The [55] _Octaeteris_ was the _Annus magnus_ of _Cadmus_ and _Minos_, and seems to have been brought into _Greece_ and _Crete_ by the _Phœnicians_, who came thither with _Cadmus_ and _Europa_, and to have continued 'till after the days of _Herodotus_: for in counting the length of seventy years [56], he reckons thirty days to a Lunar month, and twelve such months, or 360 days, to the ordinary year, without the intercalary months, and 25 such months to the _Dieteris_: and according to the number of days in the Calendar year of the _Greeks_, _Demetrius Phalereus_ had 360 Statues erected to him by the _Athenians_. But the _Greeks_, _Cleostratus_, _Harpalus_, and others, to make their months agree better with the course of the Moon, in the times of the _Persian_ Empire, varied the manner of intercaling the three months in the _Octaeteris_; and _Meton_ found out the Cycle of intercaling seven months in nineteen years. The Ancient year of the _Latines_ was also Luni-solar; for _Plutarch_ [57] tells us, that the year of _Numa_ consisted of twelve Lunar months, with intercalary months to make up what the twelve Lunar months wanted of the Solar year. The Ancient year of the _Egyptians_ was also Luni-solar, and continued to be so 'till the days of _Hyperion_, or _Osiris_, a King of _Egypt_, the father of _Helius_ and _Selene_, or _Orus_ and _Bubaste_: For the _Israelites_ brought this year out of _Egypt_; and _Diodorus_ tells [58] us that _Ouranus_ the father of _Hyperion_ used this year, and [59] that in the Temple of _Osiris_ the Priests appointed thereunto filled 360 Milk Bowls every day: I think he means one Bowl every day, in all 360, to count the number of days in the Calendar year, and thereby to find out the difference between this and the true Solar year: for the year of 360 days was the year, to the end of which they added five days. That the _Israelites_ used the Luni-solar year is beyond question. Their months began with their new Moons. Their first month was called _Abib_, from the earing of Corn in that month. Their Passover was kept upon the fourteenth day of the first month, the Moon being then in the full: and if the Corn was not then ripe enough for offering the first Fruits, the Festival was put off, by adding an intercalary month to the end of the year; and the harvest was got in before the Pentecost, and the other Fruits gathered before the Feast of the seventh month.