Date Systems: Ethiopia
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Ethiopian coins use the Ethiopian calendar (or Ethopian Era, EE), whose new year occurs approximately mid-September. Therefore, an Ethiopian year contains roughly the last quarter of a Gregorian year and the first three quarters of the next.
Step 1
Ethiopian dates are read from left to right and are written in Ge'ez script. Using the table below, locate a sequence of numerals.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 100 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
፩ | ፪ | ፫ | ፬ | ፭ | ፮ | ፯ | ፰ | ፱ | ፻ | |
10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 10,000 | |
፲ | ፳ | ፴ | ፵ | ፶ | ፷ | ፸ | ፹ | ፺ | ፼ |
Step 2
Ethiopian numbers are calculated using the following rules:
If a number is followed by a smaller number, add. If a number is followed by a larger number, multiply.In most cases, the larger number is a power of 100. Then, add 7 to get the first Gregorian year the Ethiopian year spans. See the examples below.
Example | Math | EE-AD Conversion (+7) |
---|---|---|
፲ ፰ ፻ ፺ ፭ | (10 + 8) x 100 + 90 + 5 = 1895 | EE1895 = AD1902 - AD1903 |
፲ ፱ ፻ ፴ ፮ | (10 + 9) x 100 + 30 + 6 = 1936 | EE1963 = AD1943 - AD1944 |
፳ ፻ ፪ | 20 x 100 + 2 = 2002 | EE2002 = AD2009 - AD2010 |