Yep - a five-day weekend of sorts. I think that was when the statue of one of their biggies was transported from the temple to Pharoah's palace for an annual rite of renewal or some noise. I was wondering about the calculations myself... even in an elliptical orbit, 5 days of slowdown over a mere 2700 years is kinda weird, especially when the Earth has been doing this for 5bn years. At that rate, we'd be nuclear charcoal in less than a million years (Newton's 2nd law or 1st, I forget which. The 3rd law kicks in only after we fall into the Heliosphere :p ) /P

... how do ya like it? ;=]

nu-be. a hoplite is a heavily armed foot soldier of ancient greece so maybe so. Perhaps it was a mis-calculation of the length of the year rather than an actual slowing down. The Mayans calculated the year correctly. Makes you wonder, no? - TJ

So did the Chinese.

If we did, why do we need leap years (and leap seconds)? Huh, huh, huh? cheers, dr geep <-------------- wants to know ;=]

Q, How true. - TJ

dr geep, and leap frogs? "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones." -John Cage, American composer "Never explain. Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway." -Elbert Hubbard "Anyone who isn't confused doesn't really understand the situation." -Edward R. Murrow "To be matter of fact about the world is to blunder into fantasy--and dull fantasy at that--as the real world is strange and wonderful." - Robert A. Heinlein I love those quotes. I don't know what they have to do with the prce of Chlorox in Fresno, but they'll do until a reasonable explaination comes along, - TJ

We have leap years because a day is actually 23 hours and 56 minutes, which over a period of four years accumulates to 1 lost day, hence the insertion of the 29th Feb in a leap year to even it up.