[Bug 12489] New: Conversion example of Julian/proleptic Greogrian date issues

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=12489

           Summary: Conversion example of Julian/proleptic Greogrian date
                    issues
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
               URL: http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/common-microsyntaxes#glob
                    al-dates-and-times
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P3
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


Spec source says:

]]  The date of Nero's birth is the 15th of December 37, in the Julian
    Calendar, which is the 13th of December 37 in the proleptic
    Gregorian Calendar.</li> <!-- This might not be true. I can't find
    a reference that gives his birthday with an explicit statement
    about the calendar being used. However, it seems unlikely that it
    would be given in the Gregorian calendar, so I assume sites use
    the Julian one. --> [[

Please replace the above source code with the following source code:

]]  The date of Nero's birth is reckoned to be 15th of December 37
     in the Julian Calendar, which corresponds to the 13th of 
    December 37 in the proleptic Gregorian Calendar.</li> [[

Justification:

1) 
     there is no doubt that 15th of December refers 
     to a *Julian* calendar. Because it is easy to verify that
     it is a Julian date.
a) The Julian calendar was introduced in year 45 AD in the 
    Roman empire were Nero was emperor.
b) A historical source says: "Nero was born at Antium 
    nine  months after the death of Tiberius, on the eighteenth day 
    before the  Kalends of January". [0]  And according to the Roman
    dating  customs (see for instance Rolf  Brahde's explanation[1] 
    page 239), then  "eightenth day before Kalends  of January"  
    corresponds to "15th of December". 

    THEREFORE: 
    The comment with the speculation of whether it is meant Julian 
    calendar or not, shouldbe deleted.

2)
    However, whether he was born exactly year 37 BC is not complety 
    undisputed. [2]

   THEREFORE:
    It makes sense to use wording such "reckoned to be", to signify
    that one doesn't take it completely for granted.

[0]
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html#6
[1] http://books.google.com/books?id=kHgyQwAACAAJ
[2] http://www.jstor.org/pss/4434858

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Received on Thursday, 14 April 2011 01:25:41 UTC