Indiction

The indiction is a 15 - year cycle, which presumably was finalized in the outgoing Late Antiquity by Emperor Justinian I. 537, for reasons of tax and financial accounting. Originally Emperor Diocletian had established a five-year cycle, even under Constantine I was one 312 went to 15 -year rhythm. The role of Indiktionszahlen can be compared to the current role of the different colored tax cards for consecutive years.

The indiction was customary throughout the Occident up to Spain for calendar calculations to determine the Julian date. For a long time it served as a substitute for a fixed annual count; the Imperial Chamber Court used the indiction until its dissolution in 1806.

However, the Indiktionszyklus has no relation to astronomy. In order to classify a dated by indiction late antique or medieval document in time, you need more clues in the rule.

Indiktionsstile

The years are numbered as the first indiction, second indiction ... or it will set the corresponding Roman interest number for each year. This continues to grow 1-15, and then to start again from scratch. So on the fifteenth indiction again follows the first.

There are several Indiktionsstile, which differ by the beginning of the epoch year.

• The indictio Graeca ( constantinopolitana ) begins on 1 September and was mainly in the Byzantine Empire (hence the liturgical year of the Orthodox churches begins to date as of September 1 ), Sicily and the papal chancery and under Frederick II and Henry ( VII ) are common.
• The indictio Bedana ( caesarean, constantina ) will start on 24 September and was distributed exclusively in England and in France and Italy.
• The indictio Romana ( Pontificia ) begin their year on December 25 or January 1 ( Neujahrsindiktion ) and was in the late Middle Ages, the most widely used; in Germany it was prevalent since the 13th century.

Indiktionsjahr

Closely related to the concept of indiction is the Indiktionsjahr. It is one of the most common designations years of the Middle Ages. It is based on a 15 - year cycle, which begins three years before the Christian era. With this it is linked by the argumentum I of Dionysius Exiguus:

" Si vis nosse quotus sit annus domini nostri incarnatione from Jesus Christ, Computational quindecies XXXIIII fiunt DX: is semper adde XII regulares, fiunt DXXII: adde et indictionem anni, cuius volueris, ut puta tertiam, consulatu Probi iunioris, fiunt simul anni DXXV. Isti sunt anni from incarnatione domini. "

This results in a year according to our current calendar as Indiktionsjahr by adding to year 3 and then divided by 15. For 2013, there is, for example (2013 3): 15 = 2016: 15 = 134 remainder 6 So we are in 2013 in the 6th year ( the 135th cycle).