ABSTRACT
The ancient astrologers and magicians kept among their archives careful notes of the times of the day and of the days themselves on which striking or important events happened. In due course they tabulated the results of their experience, and were able to state definitely which days were lucky and which unlucky. According to one tradition the Babylonians possessed records of calculations which extended over a period of 720,000 years! The list of lucky and unlucky days was the forerunner of the Calendar, and it served as a Calendar until about 2000 B.C., when the Babylonians and Assyrians divided the year into twelve months each containing 30 days. As the months were lunar their position in the Calendar changed from year to year, and every few years an intercalary month was added to restore the months to their normal places in the Calendar. Tablets inscribed in cuneiform with a list of the lucky and unlucky days are exhibited in the British Museum.
