Roman calendar

The expression Roman calendar indicates the whole of the calendars used by the Romains until the creation of the Calendrier Julien in 45 av. J. - C. It would be, according to the tradition inter alia brought back by Ovide in the Records , the invention of Romulus, founder of Rome towards 753 av. J.C. It however seems to be based on the lunar Calendrier Greek.

Calendar of Romulus

According to the tradition, this calendar comprised in beginning 10 Mois beginning with the vernal equinox , for a total of 304 (or 305) Jour S. The remaining days would have been added to the end of the year (between December and March). It started in the neighborhoods of on March 1st, which explains why the name of the months of seven embre has the same Latin root as the number seven whereas it is nowadays the ninth month (even notices for octo bre, Nov. embre, and DEC embre):

I - Martius , ( March ): 31 days, thus named in the honor of the Roman god Mars,
II - Aprilis ( April ): 30 days, dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, and indicating the opening year,
III - Maius ( May ): 31 days, in the honor of the Roman Senators or maiores ,
IV - Iunius ( June ): 30 days, in the honor of the Roman goddess Junon,
V - Quintilis ( July ): 31 days,
VI - Sextilis ( August ): 30 days,
VII - September ( September ): 30 days,
VIII - October ( October ): 31 days,
IX - November ( November ): 30 days,
X - December ( December ): 30 days.

There then remained approximately 55 days per annum out of the calendar, additions irregularly to readjust the calendar on the Lunaison S: one simply stopped counting the days during the winter while waiting for the Calendes March marking the first moon of the Printemps.

Each month was initially divided into 3 decades ( decadi ) 10 days (before this tradition is not gradually replaced by 8 days the commercial week). To return honor to the Mars, one 10 feastdays week (named the calends of Mars ) was organized at the end of the year until the day known as (this duration is reduced to 8 days later).

However, the term calends indicated in fact the first day of the month and was to correspond to a the New moon, the day of the official announcements. 15th the four 31 days months day long, or the 13th day of the other months was named ides (and to the full moon corresponded).

One inclusively counted the days by anticipation of these remarkable days by counting this day .

The ninth day before the Ides (thus exactly a front week in the Roman tradition), was also a remarkable day named nun (thus the nun fell the 5 or the 7 according to the months, according to whether the ides fell the 13 or the 15) corresponding to the First district of the moon. These remarkable day days before were named pridie , for example pridie nonas was the nun day before, but the two days before of the nuns was the third day before the nuns (and not the second). Thus, the every day in end of the month after the ides was counted in reference to the calend of the next month .

Reformed Roman calendar of Numa

The first fundamental reform of the calendar of Romulus is allotted to Numa Pompilius (715 - 673 front J. - C.), the second of the seven traditional kings of Rome. He would have added 50 days to the year and reduces 6 the 30 days months to 29, to create two 28 days months additional, February and January. It added to it also an additional month ( lie intercalaris ) 29 days added every 4 years, intercalated as a twelfth month during the bissextile years . Also the year counted 354 days (or 384 days every 4 years):

I - Martius ( March): 31 days,
II - Aprilis ( April): 29 days,
III - Maius ( May ): 31 days,
IV - Iunius ( June): 29 days,
V - Quintilis ( July): 31 days,
VI - Sextilis ( August): 29 days,
VII - September ( September): 29 days,
VIII - October ( October): 31 days,
IX - November ( November): 29 days,
X - December ( December): 29 days,
XI - Februarius ( February): 28 days (or 29 days every 4 years), in the honor of the god Februa.

Lie intercalaris : 29 days (only every 4 years)

XII - Ianuarius ( January): 28 days, in the honor of the god Janus.

The Romans detesting the even numbers increased the year to 355 days by fixing January at 29 days, and until in 450 av. J.C the year counted 355 days (or 385 days every 4 years), but the Pontifex Maximus charged to define the calendar and to determine the intercalated months forgot to make a periodic correction there (however known of the Greek which used 24 years a correct cycle):

I - Martius ( March): 31 days,
II - Aprilis ( April): 29 days,
III - Maius ( May ): 31 days,
IV - Iunius ( June): 29 days,
V - Quintilis ( July): 31 days,
VI - Sextilis ( August): 29 days,
VII - September ( September): 29 days,
VIII - October ( October): 31 days,
IX - November ( November): 29 days,
X - December ( December): 29 days,
XI - Februarius ( February): 28 days (or 29 days every 4 years).

Lie intercalaris: 29 days (only every 4 years)

XII - Ianuarius ( January): 29 days.

Moreover the average year was too short and counted 362,5 days then. Also additional days could be brought in an irregular way, to readjust the calendar with the solar seasonal cycle.

Republican Roman calendar

It is under the Roman République, towards 450 av. J. - C. which one reversed the names of January and February, perhaps to like the god Janus of which January bears the name; the intercalated month moved at the end of the year was called Mercedonius, the year then cash 355 days every 2 years, and alternatively 377 or 378 days the other years:

I - Martius ( March): 31 days,
II - Aprilis ( April): 29 days,
III - Maius ( May ): 31 days,
IV - Iunius ( June): 29 days,
V - Quintilis ( July): 31 days,
VI - Sextilis ( August): 29 days,
VII - September ( September): 29 days,
VIII - October ( October): 31 days,
IX - November ( November): 29 days,
X - December ( December): 29 days,
XI - Ianuarius ( January): 29 days,
XII - Februarius ( February): 28 days (or 23 or 24 days alternatively years with intercalated month)

Mercedonius : 27 days (only every 2 years, years with intercalated month)

One will note that the last five days of Mercedonius were regarded as forming part of February normally, but the use devoted to count them in Mercedonius.

Although nearer to the solar year than the preceding calendar, the average year of this calendar counted 366,25 more days. It is at the time of the Republic that 8 days the commercial week was essential.

Forfeiture of the republican Roman calendar

Nevertheless the rules determining the intercalated months (to try to preserve the alignment of lunations) remained fuzzy, and the calendar became incomprehensible, the more so as the calendar contained one day of to be lunar too much, and that the consuls handled the calendar according to political terms at will, in particular by shortening or removing the intercalated months sometimes; with the wire of the history the calendar ends up shifting in the year.

By twice in the history, the intercalated months were omitted, in particular at second century BC after the Punic Wars, and in the middle of first century BC.

It is Jules César (which had been elected Pontifex Maximus since about fifteen years) which put an end to this complicated system, and often little respected, by introducing a new calendar in 45 av. J. - C., the Calendrier Julien, abolishing the intercalated months. Previously, he adds one day to September, not in end of the month according to the traditions, but the shortly after the ides (it was a question at the beginning of gradually making up for lost time accumulated by the old republican Roman calendar in spite of the fact that the average year was too long, but the Julien calendar will bring a more radical solution because not copied on the lunar, and more durable Cycle).

Then the tradition of the nuns and the lunar ides was étiolée with the progressive arrival of the Business week 7 days imported of the east of the empire, and growing of the Eastern Civilizations influences it Semitic then Christian. And consequently one will start to count the days starting from the beginning of the calendar month.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

the Roman calendar on the site Calendars Saga
the ides and the nuns on the historical Glossary
Letter XI of the work of Charles Dezobry (1798-1871) “Rome at Augustan age, or Travels of Gallic to Rome at the time of the reign of Auguste and during part of the reign of Tibère”

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