Dionysian PERIOD, or Vitorian Period, a system of 532 lune-solar and Julian years; which being elapsed, the characters of the moon fall again upon the same day and feria, and revolve in the same order, according to the opinion of the ancients.
This period is otherwise called the great paschal cycle, because the Christian church first used it to find the true time of the pascha or easter. The sum of these years arise by multiplying together the cycles of the sun and moon. See ASTRONOMY, n° 308.
Hipparchus's PERIOD, a system of 304 years, both
lunar and solar; which being elapsed, Hipparchus thought that the reckoning by the lunar motion would coincide again with the solar measures. This period comprehends 3760 lunar months, or 111,039 days; the sum of which arises from the multiplication of the Calippic period by 4, subtracting unity from the product.
Julian PERIOD. See JULIAN.