# How many divisions did the front calendar ring have? · Antikythera Mechanism > Four answers have been proposed. The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. leads, with evidence 3… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/antikythera-mechanism/questions/QST0D3FQ5244P7K/how-many-divisions-did-the-front-calendar-ring-have Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:56:49+00:00 --- **0** # How many divisions did the front calendar ring have? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·4 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: the ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. leads, with evidence 3 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Three are still possible. ## Why it matters The ring's count decides whether the front dial tracked the 365-day Egyptian civil year, as assumed since 2006, or a 354-day lunar year, which would change what the device was for and who it was made for. Three analyses of one dataset of 81 hole positions disagree with a 2025 reconstruction⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPYYT2M16/the-antikythera-mechanism-evidence-of-a-lunar-calendar)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZ6M1YM8/an-improved-calendar-ring-hole-count-for-the-antikythera)⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZP80P76/reconstructing-the-antikythera-mechanisms-central-front-dial). ## Answers 4 [**The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/antikythera-mechanism/answers/ANS0D3FQ78E1S2G/the-ring-had-354-holes-a-lunar-year-so-the-egyptian-calendar) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 3 for, 1 against Most likely [**The ring had 365 holes, one per day of the Egyptian civil year.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/antikythera-mechanism/answers/ANS0D3FQ6966WEZ/the-ring-had-365-holes-one-per-day-of-the-egyptian-civil) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 1 for, 2 against Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/antikythera-mechanism/answers/ANS0D3FQ96Y5459/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The ring had some other count (for example 360 or a count near 352), reflecting a different scheme.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/antikythera-mechanism/answers/ANS0D3FQ8FG1A2H/the-ring-had-some-other-count-for-example-360-or-a-count) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Disputed ## History 1. 2006[Freeth et al. puts forward: the ring had 365 holes, one per day of the Egyptian civil year.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D8MQY5J38KW/decoding-the-ancient-greek-astronomical-calculator-known-as) 1. 2020[Budiselic et al. puts forward: the ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPYYT2M16/the-antikythera-mechanism-evidence-of-a-lunar-calendar) 1. 2020[Budiselic et al.: the 2020 measurement and spacing analysis gives about 354.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPYYT2M16/the-antikythera-mechanism-evidence-of-a-lunar-calendar)For: The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. 1. 2024[Dickens & Malin puts forward: the ring had some other count (for example 360 or a count near 352), reflecting a different scheme.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZEE2K1W/how-many-days-in-an-egyptian-year-evidence-from-the) 1. 2024[Woan & Bayley: a Bayesian fit to the 81 hole positions finds 365 not plausible and 360 strongly disfavoured.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZ6M1YM8/an-improved-calendar-ring-hole-count-for-the-antikythera)Against: The ring had 365 holes, one per day of the Egyptian civil year. 1. 2024[Dickens & Malin: a least-squares re-analysis puts the chance of 365 below one in ten thousand.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZEE2K1W/how-many-days-in-an-egyptian-year-evidence-from-the)Against: The ring had 365 holes, one per day of the Egyptian civil year. 1. 2024[Whiddington: specialists object that the Metonic dial already gives a lunar calendar, making a second, cruder one…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FQ05W0F1F/a-new-study-shakes-up-our-understanding-of-the-worlds-first)Against: The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. 1. 2024[Woan & Bayley: independent Bayesian analysis gives 354 to 355.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZ6M1YM8/an-improved-calendar-ring-hole-count-for-the-antikythera)For: The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. 1. 2024[Dickens & Malin: independent least-squares analysis gives 352.3 plus or minus 1.5, within 350 to 355 at 95 per cent.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZEE2K1W/how-many-days-in-an-egyptian-year-evidence-from-the)For: The ring had 354 holes, a lunar year, so the Egyptian calendar ring sat over a lunar-year scale. 1. 2024[Woan & Bayley: 360 is strongly disfavoured by the Bayesian fit.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZ6M1YM8/an-improved-calendar-ring-hole-count-for-the-antikythera)Against: The ring had some other count (for example 360 or a count near 352), reflecting a different scheme. 1. 2024[Dickens & Malin: dickens and Malin's best estimate is 352.3, below 354, though they judge 354 far more likely than 365.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZEE2K1W/how-many-days-in-an-egyptian-year-evidence-from-the)For: The ring had some other count (for example 360 or a count near 352), reflecting a different scheme. 1. 2025[Voulgaris et al.: the ring carries Egyptian month names, which belong to a 365-day calendar, and the 2025 front-dial…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D3FPZP80P76/reconstructing-the-antikythera-mechanisms-central-front-dial)For: The ring had 365 holes, one per day of the Egyptian civil year. 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## 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