Page 35 - Culture Link Storylines 1

Time off

What time is it?

It's 12:00

In the past, people used different calendars. It took a long time to make
the calendar that we use today.

The Babylonians made a calendar based on the moon’s cycles. From one
springtime to the next, there are 12 full moons. So they made each year with 12
lunar months. But each lunar month only had 29 or 30 days. So, the lunar year
was shorter. It only lasted about 354 days.

The Egyptians used a star to make their calendar. Every 365 days, the brightest
star rises next to the sun. This star is called the Dog Star. The Egyptians divided
those 365 days into 12 months.

In Rome, Julius Caesar made another calendar with 12 months. He added an
extra day in February once every four years. A year with an extra day is called a
leap year. Later, in 1582, people made better rules for the leap years. They called
this new calendar the Gregorian calendar. This is the calendar that we use today.

Complete the summary. The Dog Star Caesar

cycles star added
Rome rules Babylonian

In the past, there were many different calendars. The _______calendar was based on the moon's
_______. The Egyptian calendar used a _________ called the Dog Star. In _________, Julius
Caesar ___________ a leap year. Then, in 1582 people changed the _________for leap years.
They called this the Gregorian calendar, and it's the one we use today.

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