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Roman Calendar
and
dating methodology
Early Roman Calendar
• Originally there were only four months (March, April,
May, June) of 30 days each – corresponds to the
breeding cycle of pigs.
• Calendar was controlled by priests headed by the
pontifex maximus.
• Romulus added six months to the year, numbered Five
through Ten. Each with 30 days
– He added four days to align the ‘year’ with the eight day
week – added to March, May, July, October.
• Numa, the second King, added two more months
(January and February). However his calender did not
mesh well with the eight day week.
• At this point the ‘year’ is 355 days (Numa added
another day to January due to superstitions!)
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Months
• Ianuarius (Janus) • Sextilis (Augustus 8 B.C.)
• Februarius (Februa) • September (7th)
• Martius (Mars) • October (8th)
• Aprilis (Aper) • November (9th)
• Maius (Maia) • December (10th)
• Iunius (Juno)
• Quintilis (Iulius 44B.C.)
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• Numa meant for the year to begin in January
(Janus is the god of beginnings!) but tradition
keep the year beginning in March (up until
153 B.C.)
• Numa’s calendar was a lunar one comparable
to the Chinese or Arabic calendar. The lunar
calendar does not mesh well with the solar
year.
• Due to political and priestly corruption and
general neglect the calendar as written did
not correlate to the solar year (or the fixed
holidays – equinox/solstice)
• C. Julius Caesar, as the pontifex maximus decides
to reform the calendar
– His calendar forms the basis for our calendar today
<still used by orthodox countries>
• First, he extends the year 46 B.C. to 445 days to
align the calendar with the solar observations
• Then on January 1st 45 B.C. he introduces a year
of 365 ¼ days
– Added 2 days to January, August, December
– Added 1 day to April, June, September, November
– The extra day every four years was added to February
• After Feb. 23 … the bissextilis (twice sixth day)
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• However!!! Caesar’s year was 11 minutes and
14 seconds too long!
–
• In A.D. 1582, Pope Gregory XIII dropped 10
excessive days.
– Not universally accepted … Great Britain and
Colonies did not adopt the Gregorian calendar
until 1752
– Eastern Europe and Russia not until the 20th
century. (They had to drop 13 days from their
calendar to make up the difference!)
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Roman Year Numbering
• Most Roman years were identified by who was
consul. (in the consulship of …..)
– Consuls only served for one year
– The same pair never served together
• Roman years were also counted ‘from the
founding of the city’ … ab urbe condita (A.U.C.)
• To convert a date from A.D. (anno domini) A.U.C.
– Add the year to 753 (i.e. the current year is 2763 AUC)
• To convert a date from B.C. to A.U.C.
– Subtract the year from 754 (i.e. 44 B.C. is 710 AUC)
• To convert an AUC date to our system …
– If the date is 753 or less, subtract from 754 = B.C.
• 691 AUC = (754 – 691 = 63) = 63 BC
– If the date is 754 or greater, subtract 753 from it =
A.D.
• 833 AUC = (833-753=80) AD 80
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Specific Dates
• Within each month there are three markers.
– Kalends
• Always the first of every month
• Calendar is the derivation
– Nones <the ninth day>
• The fifth of each month save M.M.J.O.*
– Ides
• The thirteenth of each month save M.M.J.O.*
• Represents the midpoint of the month (i.e. the 16th
day)
* M.M.J.O. = March, May, July, October
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• Only these days in a month were named. All
other days were counted as days before these
points.
• The days of the week were lettered A – H
• The seven day week did not become universal
in Rome until the third century A.D.
• The seven day week has it’s origins in
Babylonian astrology, Egyptian astronomy, and
the Hebrew Sabbath-week.
– Based on the seven planets : Saturn, Jupiter, Mars,
Sol, Venus, Mercury, Luna
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Comparison of Day names
LATIN FRENCH GERMAN ENGLISH
Solis dies Dimanche Sonntag Sunday
Lunae dies Lundi Montag Monday
Martis dies Mardi Dienstag Tuesday
Mercurii dies Mercredi Mittwoch Wednesday
Jovis dies Jeudi Donnerstag Thursday
Veneris dies Vendredi Freitag Friday
Saturni dies samedi Samstag Saturday
Dimanche is from the Latin dies dominica.
Germanic peoples identified Tiu with Mars, Woden with Mercury, Thor-Donar with
Jove, and Freia with Venus. Mittwoch = Midweek
Samedi and Samstag come from Sabbati dies, the Hebrew Sabbath day.
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• In addition to being lettered A – H, which
would give the market day (originally A, F, or H
while the year was divisible by 8.). The days of
the week were also given letters indicating the
juridical quality of each day.
Abbreviation Translation Meaning
F Fastus dies It is right (fas) to do legal business in assembly
N Nefastus dies It is wrong (nefas) to transact legal business
NP Nefastus parte Part of the day is nefas for legal business
FP Fastus principio The beginning of the day is fas for legal business
EN endotercisus Three part day in which only the middle part is
fas
C Comitialis dies A day when the comitia (assembly) will meet
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Forming Dates
• If the date is on one of the points (Kalends,
Nones, or Ides)
– An ablative of time construction
• April 1 = Kalendis Aprilibus
• March 15 = Idibus Martiis
• If the date is the day before one of the points.
– The adverb pridie is used with the accusative
• April 30 = pridie Kalendas Maias
• October 14 = pridie Idus Octobres
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• The phrase ante diem (a.d.) with the
accusative is used for all other dates.
– Ante diem iv Kalendas Decembres = November 28
• N.B. you have to count inclusively
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Practice
February 27 = ante diem iii kalendas Martias
May 15 – idibus maiis
October 16 – ante diem xvii kalendas novembres
November 2 – ante diem iv nonas Novembres
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