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The '''[[Coptic]] calendar''', also called the '''Alexandrian Calendar''', is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church. It is based on the Ancient [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar Egyptian calendar]. Egyptians were the first to calculate time. They divided the year into 12 months, according to their knowledge of the stars. They later discovered the solar year, and became dependent upon it. Each of the 12 months was 30 days long, and they added five more days, which they called the 'small month'. Therefore, their year became 365 days long. To avoid the calendar creep of the Ancient Egyptian calendar, a reform of the calendar was introduced at the time of Ptolemy III (Decree of Canopus, in 238 BC), which consisted in the intercalation of a 6th epagomenal (auxiliary) day every fourth year. However, this reform was opposed by the Egyptian priests, and the idea was not adopted until 25 BC, when the Roman Emperor Augustus formally reformed the calendar of Egypt, keeping it forever synchronized with the newly introduced Julian calendar. To distinguish it from the Ancient Egyptian calendar, which remained in use by some astronomers until medieval times, this reformed calendar is known as the Coptic calendar. Its years and months coincide with those of the [[Ethiopian calendar]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_calendar], but the latter has different Amharic month names.