Calendar of Coligny

The Calendrier of Coligny is, on two accounts, a capital document for the knowledge of the Celtic Antiquité: on the one hand it informs us about the design that the Celtes had time - and thus on their knowledge in Astronomie -, and on the other hand, it provides a contribution of vocabulary of the Gallic language.

Discovered

In November 1897, a farmer, Alphonse Roux, finds in a field with the locality Verpoix (commune of Coligny in the Ain), a whole of 550 bronze remains hidden to about thirty centimetres under ground. The work of assembly reveals that they are two very different objects:

the statue of a god (approximately 400 parts) who is identified like Mars. This statue is now with the Gallo-Roman Musée of Fourvière.
the calendar (149 parts, of which 120 carry inscriptions) of which it misses an important part: approximately half. Recent excavations carried out in the same place did not make it possible to find other fragments. To avoid wild excavations, the zone was classified.

It is exposed to the Gallo-Roman Musée of Fourvière. A reconstitution with identical is visible with the town hall of Coligny (Ain).

Presentation

Once reconstituted by Mr. Dissard, curator of a museum, the object is appeared as a table to dimensions of 1.50 m out of 0.90 m and the assembled fragments represent two thirds of the framework. The engraved characters and figures are Roman, but the language is Gallic; the document which comprises 2000 words registered out of 16 columns and 2200 lines, is longest known in this language. The study informs us of an about sixty new words, whose translation is very random, not to say impossible (at least in the actual position of our knowledge).

Interpretation

It is a lunisolar Calendrier which presents 5 12 months years of 29 or 30 days. The Gallic day is composed one night followed by one day, this duration names “latis” (pl. “lates”). The change of date intervenes with laying down sun. The months are divided into two fortnights and to each day a hole corresponds, or one places a pin to indicate the date. The two months addition additional is necessary to make it coincide with the solar Calendrier, at the end of one 30 years period, period which corresponds to a Celtic “century”. The word “ Atenoux ” seems to indicate full moon, “ matu ” and “ anmatu ” indicates the harmful periods records and days.

The twelve months with their duration and their attribute are: Samonios (30 days, matu), Dumanios (29 days, anmatu), Riuros (30 days, matu), Anagantios (29 days, anmatu), Ogroniv (30 days, matu), Cutios (30 days, matu), Giamonios (29 days, anmatu), Simivi Sonnios (30 days, matu), Equos (30 days, anmatu), Elembius (29 days, anmatu), Aedrinnis (30 days, matu), Cantlos (29 days, anmatu) ; which it is necessary to add the two additional months: Ciallos (between Cutios and Giamonios, 30 days, matu) and Quimon (between Cantlos and Samonios, 30 days, matu).

The festival of Samain mark the Celtic beginning of the year, roughly on November 1st.

The loathing of the Druid S to consign their written knowledge indicates a Gallo-Roman context, and one retains the end of the 2nd century after J. - C. for the date of manufacture of the calendar. Its complexity indicates good astronomical knowledge, as well as a slow development.

Stages

Until the years 1920

As of its discovery in 1897, the calendar of Coligny is reconstituted by Mr. Dissard, curator of a museum. It is with him that reconsiders the first publication this subject: Report with the Academy of the inscriptions and the humanities , volume XXV (1897) and XXVI (1898).

This first publication makes known the calendar with the specialists in the language and the Celtic culture. Several publications will follow:

Seymour de Ricci, Re-examined Celtic , volume XIX (1898), and volume XXI (1900).
Espérandieu, Facsimile of the calendar, published in the Celtic Re-examined , volume XXI (1900).
Nicholson, Zeitschrift für Celtische Philology , 1901.
Joseph Loth, Report with the Academy of the Inscriptions and Beautiful Letters , 1904.
Joseph Loth, Re-examined Celtic , volume XXV (1904).

From 1920 at the years 1970

The year 1920 sees the first complete transcription of the inscriptions being reproduced on the calendar. It is Georges Dottin which publishes it in the Gallic language (Paris, Klincksieck, 1920).

Several researchers then will try the complete elucidation of this calendar: in the field of the language, on the historical level, and the astronomical level:

Francoise the Russet-red, the Gallic calendar of Coligny and the Irish festival of Samain (Samonios) , Ogam IX (1957).

From 1970 in XXIe century

The years 1970 and following see a new resumption of the scientific approach. It is necessary to note work of several researchers:

Paul-Marie Duval: Observations on the calendar of Coligny , in Homages to Albert Grenier, Latomus, volume LVIII (1962).
Christian-J. Guyonvarc' H, Francoise the Russet-red one and Georges Pinault, the Gallic calendar of Coligny , Ogam XIII.
Georges Pinault, which worked with the two precedents: TOKEN ENTRY Duval and G. Pinault. The calendars (Coligny, Villars d' Héria). Collection of the Gallic Inscriptions, volume III, CNRS, 1988.
J. Monard.
Jean-Michel Contel and P. Verdier: a Celtic calendar, the Gallic calendar of Coligny , editions Wandering, 1998.

Work of these researchers is recut in spite of some divergences. These basic studies recently were used with publications in foreign language, and reconstitutions which want to be final:

Hans-Rudolf Hitz: DER gallo-lateinische Mond- und Sonnen-Kalender von Coligny. 1991.
Garrett S. Olmsted: The Gaulish calendar. 1992.
Annemarie Bernecker: DER galloroemische Tempelkalender von Coligny. 1998.
Garrett S. Olmsted: With final reconstructed text off the Coligny calendar. 2001.

Astrological recovery

The scientific research undertaken on the calendar of Coligny gave taken to recovery these data by different astrological associations and movements neo-druidic. Some tried to update this calendar, and to make use of it to re-elect the days and month of the 21e century. At all events of this recovery, that does not call into question the scientific work on which she claims to be based.

Ideological recovery?

One can wonder whether the calendar of Coligny were not the object of an ideological recovery. People as Georges Pinault seem to have studied this calendar with an aim of cultural conflict (in fact, the Gallic culture against the Latin culture, Brittany against France). Work of Georges Pinault is of good scientific value, but the history of the character in known as length on his orientations… In the final analysis, the calendar of Coligny seems to have been at certain the pretext with an ideological conflict.

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