en.wikipedia.org/wiki/710s_BC
2 corrections found
Olmecs establish Monte Albán
Monte Albán was founded by Zapotec people around 500 BC, not by the Olmecs in 713 BC.
Full reasoning
Authoritative references on Monte Albán identify it as a Zapotec center founded around 500 BC.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art says that "Zapotec residents" of the Oaxaca Valley moved to the hill where "Monte Albán was established" and that the center "thrived for hundreds of years after its founding in 500 B.C."
- Encyclopaedia Britannica likewise describes Monte Albán as the ancient center of Zapotec culture and dates its rise to about 500 BC.
That directly contradicts the article's claim that the Olmecs established Monte Albán, and it also makes the specific date 713 BC incorrect by roughly two centuries.
2 sources
- Monte Albán - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Exploiting the prime agricultural land around the rivers that form the three main arms of the Valley of Oaxaca, the Zapotec residents of San José Mogote... gradually moved to a hill where Monte Albán was established... The center thrived for hundreds of years after its founding in 500 B.C.
- Monte Albán | archaeological site, Mexico | Britannica
Ancient center of Zapotec and Mixtec culture in Oaxaca state, Mexico. It was situated on a hill... and reached its zenith between about 500 bc and ad 750.
adding 5 days to the calendar.
The traditional story credits Numa with adding about 50 days, not 5, when reorganizing the early Roman calendar.
Full reasoning
The number in this sentence is off by a factor of ten.
A standard reference on the Roman calendar explains that the early Roman year had ten months and 304 days, and that Numa Pompilius was traditionally credited with adding January and February by inserting fifty days into the calendar (with further day adjustments yielding a 355-day year). Encyclopaedia Britannica gives the same basic account, stating that the early Roman calendar was increased by 50 days.
So while the article is repeating the traditional association between Numa and the addition of January and February, the claim that he added 5 days is incorrect; the traditional figure is 50 days (or 51 after the final odd-number adjustment), not 5.
2 sources
- Roman Calendar
According to Livy, it was Numa Pompilius... who divided the year into twelve lunar months... Fifty days, says Censorinus, were added to the calendar... to provide for the two winter months: Januarius and Februarius.
- The early Roman calendar | Britannica
The early Roman calendar is said to have been introduced by Romulus... The calendar of Romulus was then increased to 355 days by Numa Pompilius, who added January and February to the original 10 months.