1. The Roman Calendar Yes, It’s Complicated!

2. PoG

4. Roman Calendar Part 1: Roman year (easy) Part 2: Roman day and night (easy) Part 3: Roman Month (most complicated) PoG

5. Kalendars Early Civs based calendar on Lunar cycle. 13 months, 28 days each Lunar cycle is still used: Where? Lunar cycle does not follow Earth Cycle UN proposed 13 months 28 days each PoG

6. Anni Romani The Romans were not good at keeping track of years. They got better as time went on. Early: Only 10 months per year. The winter months (Jan and Feb) were not counted on the calendar as days. Numa Pompilius added January and February to the end of the year. March 1 st was New Year Day. (doesn’t matter when year starts) (Later Jan 1st) PoG

7. So month names were misnomers. They were off by two months: October was the 10 th month and not 8 th month. Year was still only 355 days. So occasionally, they added leap day to end of the year: Feb 29 th Occasionally they added a leap month (intercalenary) containing as many days as they needed to get the year back on schedule. The Pontifices determined all this. PoG

8. Annus Dating System The Romans did it two ways: a) According to the names of the two consuls. Consuls ruled for 1 year terms. (You may consult internet for entire list of consuls.) b) Years since the founding of Rome = Ab Urbe Conditu (AUC). From the founding of Rome. Rome was founded in 753 bc by Romulus. PoG

9. Iulius Caesar Reforms Calendar By IC’s time the calendar was way off again. So he reformed the calendar. Now called Julian Calendar. To set year correct: year 46 bc was 455 days long. “Last Year of Confusion” Starting in 45 bc, the year was designated as 365 ¼ days long. Days were added to months so = 365 ¼ days. (same as length now) Leap day every 4 th year. PoG

10. FYI: Pope Gregory: Despite Caesar’s best effort, the year was off by 11 minutes a year. Which adds up to 1 day every 134 years. So by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 the year was off by ten days. He reset the calendar and added new rules for when NOT to have leap days to keep the calendar in synch. Gregorian Calendar PoG

11. Part 2: Dies Romanus The Roman dies began at sunrise. (Prima Luce) Daylight was divided into 12 horas (hours). Problem? Summer hours were longer than Winter hours. (PGH on the Solstice: Summer 75 minute hour, Winter 46 minute hour.) Meridies (Noon) 6 th hour (am/pm) Sunset: end of 12 th hour. PoG

12. The Nox Romana Nox: harder to tell time at night. Most people stayed in and went to bed early. Nox divided into 4 vigils (watches) PoG

13. Part 3: Menses Romani Menses Romani are difficult to follow. Each month: 3 main days: --Kalends  1 st day of the month -- Idus  13 th day of month  15 th day of Month in March, July, October and May -- Nonae  9 days before the Ides PoG

14. Dies Kalendae The days of the month were numbered. They counted DOWN until the K, N or I. Pridie = the day before the Kalends, Nonae, or Idus a.d. = Ante diem = day before Weird: Pridie to us is 1 day before, to them it was two days before. (tomorrow is two days away) [count today and tomorrow] Octave: to us it is 7 days, to them it is 8 PoG

15. Dies Kalendae Also days marked with letters A – H Each year a letter would be marked in RED and represented MARKET DAY Market Day was called Nundiae (9 th day) PoG

16. Example of Month: PoG January, August or December F 1: KalendsH 11: ad 3 I JanB 21: ad 12 K Feb G 2: ad 4 N JanA 12: Pridie IdusC 22: ad 11 K Feb H 3: ad 3 N JanB 13: IdusD 23: ad 10 K Feb A 4: Pridie NonaeC 14: ad 19 K FebE 24: ad 9 K Feb B 5: NonaeD 15: ad 18 K FebF 25: ad 8 K Feb C 6: ad 8 I JanE 16: ad 17 K FebG 26: ad 7 K Feb D 7: ad 7 I JanF 17: ad 16 K FebH 27: ad 6 K Feb E 8: ad 6 I JanG 18: ad 15 K FebA 28: ad 5 K Feb F 9: ad 5 I JanH 19: ad 14 K FebB 29: ad 4 K Feb G 10: ad 4 I JanA 20: ad 13 K FebC 30: ad 3 K Feb D 31: Pridie K Feb

17. 7 day week: Iulius Caesar again: Romans did not really have weeks like we do, but had market cycles: 8 (or 9 days) Iulius Caesar changed the market cycles to be 7 days or an octave. Each day was dedicated to the 7 main heavenly bodies. Sun (Sol), Moon (luna) and planets. 5 Planets: (day of _____) Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn Romance Languages still use these names. PoG

18. Actual Roman Calendar PoG