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James W. Bell's
Ancient Sumeria
"In the Days when Gods Walked
Upon the Face of the Earth"
The Sumerian Calendar
Facts about Ancient Sumer
by [1]James W. Bell   ©  2002-3
Sumerian Chronology
Sumerians numbered their years by the year of the reign of a king,
i.e., `in the third year of the reign of Lugalzaggesi,' etc.  King
lists were kept for dating prior reigns.
Years
Years consisted of twelve lunar months of 29 or 30 days.  To keep the
lunar year (354 days) in step with the solar year, the lugal (king)
decreed the addition of an intercalary or extra month to the Sumerian
calendar every three years or so.
In Sumerian times, the year began after harvest time, in
September/October.  Later, Babylonians moved the start of the calendar
year to spring.
Seasons
Sumerians had only two seasons.  The dry season, the growing season
called `emesh,' summer, began in February/March at the beginning of
the year.  The wet season, `enten,' winter, began in September/October
when the arrival of the rains.
However, the flooding of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers was a result
of snow melting in the Taurus Mountains (in today's Turkey) and
occurred in April and May.
Months
Sumerian months were strictly lunar and each month began at the first
sighting of the new moon.  Because there was no universal religion,
there was no uniformity in the names of months between Sumerian
cities.  Months were often named for local feasts, events or
agricultural activities.  Scribes overcame the name problem by
numerating the months, such as `the fourth month,' etc., as is done in
the Biblical book of Genesis.
Although Sumerian months were lunar,  intercalated months were added
when needed to keep the calendar adjusted to the seasons.  This
resulted in some years having thirteen months instead of the normal
twelve.
For those interested in month names used in different Sumerian and
Babylonian cities, and the associated rituals, feasts and festivals
associated with them, click [2]here.
Weeks and Holy Days
There were no weeks in Ancient Sumeria.  Holy days, time off from
work, were usually celebrated on the first, seventh and fifteenth of
each month.  In addition to these holy days, there were also feast
days which varied from city to city.
Days 
The Sumerian day started at sunset (as in Genesis) and was twelve
double hours long, six double hours of daytime and six double hours of
nighttime.
Watches
A Sumerian day consisted of six watches, each being two double hours
long.
Daytime Watches:
1st Watch   - Morning       8:00 AM - 12:00 AM
2nd Watch  - Midday       12:00 AM -   4:00 PM
3rd Watch  - Afternoon      4:00 PM -   8:00 PM
Nighttime Watches:
1st Watch   - Evening        8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2nd Watch  - Starlight     12:00 PM -   4:00 AM
3rd Watch   - Dawn          4:00 AM -  8:00 AM
Hours
The length of Sumerian a hour actually varied by season (a daytime
hour was one-sixth of the available daylight and so would be much
longer in the summer than in the winter) but over a year, an hour
averaged double the length of our present-day hours (120 minutes).
Because of its sexagesimal-based numbering system, the Sumerian double
hour contained 60 minutes and the minute contained 60 seconds, the
same as today.
Distance
Distance was measured in terms of how far a man could walk in a double
hour and was called a `beru.'  One beru was about five miles (walking
at a rate of 2½ miles per hour using today's hours).
The End 
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References

1. mailto:jim at jameswbell.com
2. http://www.angelfire.com/tx/tintirbabylon/caledarintro.html
3. http://www.jameswbell.com/fact001.html