Acoreus was an
Egyptian[Lee Fratantuono, ''Madness Triumphant: A Reading of Lucan's Pharsalia'', Lexington Books, 2012, p. 409: "Acoreus, the linen-wearing Egyptian priest".] wise man consulted by
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
, according to the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
writer
Lucan
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial ...
, asking him many questions about
ancient Egypt’s history and
its calendar, but says he would like nothing as much as hearing the cause of the flooding of the Nile and to see its source. Acoreus proceeds to give an account of the Nile, including the time and possible causes of its flooding and its course.
Julius Caesar based his calendar on this Egyptian knowledge of the average solar year supplied by
Sosigenes.
See also
*
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandri ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acoreus
Ancient Roman astronomers
1st-century BC Romans