[Avodah] Tamuz

[Zev Sero]

Eli Turkel wrote:

> He points out that throughout early history years were dated from
> Selucid.

Seleucus Nicator.  His descendants were the Seleucids (sons of Seleucus).
Seleucus's son, Antiochus I, decided to continue counting from his
father's reign instead of starting again from his own reign as most
kings did, and that became the tradition of the family, not to start
counting again at the beginning of each king's reign.  By the time
the Seleucids lost power the count was already a centuries-old convention,
entrenched in all kinds of record-keeping and business practises, and
nobody was prepared to change it.

You will find more than you ever wanted to know about the Seleucid era
here:
http://ddc.aub.edu.lb/projects/archaeology/berytus-back/berytus08/73.html
See also Rambam Hil' Shmita veYovel chapter 10.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas