A month in the ancient Athenian calendar, roughly equivalent to late March or early April in the modern calendar.
From Greek elaphē (deer) plus bolē (throw or shot), literally 'deer-throwing' month. It was named for a spring festival hunting season or religious observance in ancient Athens.
The ancient Greeks named their months after activities and animals rather than numbers—imagine if we called March 'Deer-Hunting Month' instead! It tells us what life was actually like 2,500 years ago.
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