DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0074
CALEXDAKIUM.
6
G
CALENDARIUM.
second day of the month." The days of the
second decad were designated as eni &exa or
M.tcroOi'To?, and were counted on regularly
from the 11th to the 20th day, which was
called et/cas. There were two ways of count-
ing the days of the last decad ; they were
either reckoned onwards from the 20th (thus,
n-piuTTj erri eixaSi was the 21st), or hackwards
from the last day, with the addition 00uwro;,
7rauo/j.e'i'Ov, Ajjyoiros, or an'ioi'TOS ; thus, the
twenty-first day of a hollow month was tvd-rq
tf>8CvovTOi ; of a full month, BeKarq tftOivovTos.
The last day of the month was called eioj xal
vea, " the old and new," because as the lunar
month really consisted of more than twenty-
nine and less than thirty days, the last day
might be considered as belonging equally to
the old and new month. Separate years were
designated at Athens by the name of the
chief archon, hence called archon eponymus
{apxwv enWv/xos), or " the name giving ar-
chon ;" at Sparta, by the first of the ephors;
at Argos, by the priestess of Juno, tec.—
(2) ROMAN Calendar. The old Roman, fre-
quently called the Romulian year, consisted
of only ten months, which were called Mar-
tina, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quinctilis, Sex-
tilis, September, October, November, Decem-
ber. That March was the first month in the
year is implied in the last six names. Of
these months, four, namely, Martius, Maius,
Quinctilis, and October, consisted of thirty-
one days, the other six of thirty'. The four
former were distinguished in the latest form
of the Roman calendar \>y having their nones
two days later than any of the other months.
The symmetry of this arrangement will ap-
pear by placing the numbers in succession :—
31., 30; 31, 30; 31, 30, 30; 31, 30, 30.
The Romulian year therefore consisted of 304
days, and contained thirty-eight nundinae or
weeks ; every eighth day, under the name of
nonae, or nundinae, being especially devoted
to religious and other public purposes. Hence
we find that the number of dies fasti after-
wards retained in the Julian calendar tally
exactly with these thirty-eight nundines; be-
sides which, it may be observed that a year
of 304 days bears to a solar year of 365 days
nearly the ratio of five to six, six of the Ro-
mulian years containing 1824, five of the
nolar years 1825 days; and hence we may
explain the origin of the well-known quin-
quennial period called the lustrum, which
ancient writers expressly call an annus may-
nus; that is, in the modern language of chro-
nology, a cycle. It was consequently the
period at which the Romulian and solar jrears
coincided. The next division of the Roman
year was said to have been made by Numa
Pumpilius, who instituted a lunar year of 12
months and 355 days. Livy says that Xuma
so regulated his lunar year of twelve months
by the insertion of intercalary months, that
at the end of every nineteenth year [vicesimu
anno) it again coincided with the same point
in the sun's course from which it started. It
is well known that 19 years constitute a most
convenient cycle for the junction of a lunar
and solar year. It seems certain that the
Romans continued to use a lunar year for
some time after the establishment of the re-
public ; and it was probably at the time of
the decemviral legislation that the lunar year
was abandoned. By the change which was
then made the year consisted of 12 months,
the length of each of which was as follows :—
Martins,
31
days.
September,
29
days.
Aprilis,
29
)?
October,
31
9)
Maius,
31
))
November,
29
5 )
Junius,
29
??
December,
29
5 )
Quinctilis,
31
j>
Januarius,
29
5 1
Sextilis,
29
>»
Februarius,
28
1 )
The year thus consisted of 355 days, and this
was made to correspond with the solar year
by the insertion of an intercalary month
(mensis intercalaris or intercalarius), called
Jlerccdonius or Mercidonius. This month of
22 or 23 days seems to have been inserted in
alternate years. As the festivals of the Ro-
mans were for the most part dependent upon
the calendar, the regulation of the latter was
entrusted to the college of pontifices, who in
early times were chosen exclusively from the
body of patricians. It was therefore in the
power of the college to add to their other
means of oppressing the plebeians, by keep-
ing to themselves the knowledge of the days
on which justice could be administered, and
assemblies of the people could be held. In
the year 304 b.c., one Cn. Flavius, a secre-
tary (scriba) of Appius Claudius, is said frau-'
dulently to have made the Fasti public. The
other privilege of regulating the year by the
insertion of the intercalary month gave the
pontiffs great political power, which they
were not backward to employ. Every thing
connected with the matter of intercalation
was left to their unrestrained pleasure; and
the majority of them, on personal grounds,
added to or took from the year by capricious
intercalations, so as to lengthen or shorten
the period during which a magistrate re-
mained in office, and seriously to benefit or
injure the firmer of the public revenue. The
calendar was thus involved in complete con-
fusion, and accordingly wre find that in the
time of Cicero the year was three months in
advance of the real solar year. At length, in
the year b.c. 46, Caesar, now master of the
Roman world, employed his authority, as
6
G
CALENDARIUM.
second day of the month." The days of the
second decad were designated as eni &exa or
M.tcroOi'To?, and were counted on regularly
from the 11th to the 20th day, which was
called et/cas. There were two ways of count-
ing the days of the last decad ; they were
either reckoned onwards from the 20th (thus,
n-piuTTj erri eixaSi was the 21st), or hackwards
from the last day, with the addition 00uwro;,
7rauo/j.e'i'Ov, Ajjyoiros, or an'ioi'TOS ; thus, the
twenty-first day of a hollow month was tvd-rq
tf>8CvovTOi ; of a full month, BeKarq tftOivovTos.
The last day of the month was called eioj xal
vea, " the old and new," because as the lunar
month really consisted of more than twenty-
nine and less than thirty days, the last day
might be considered as belonging equally to
the old and new month. Separate years were
designated at Athens by the name of the
chief archon, hence called archon eponymus
{apxwv enWv/xos), or " the name giving ar-
chon ;" at Sparta, by the first of the ephors;
at Argos, by the priestess of Juno, tec.—
(2) ROMAN Calendar. The old Roman, fre-
quently called the Romulian year, consisted
of only ten months, which were called Mar-
tina, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quinctilis, Sex-
tilis, September, October, November, Decem-
ber. That March was the first month in the
year is implied in the last six names. Of
these months, four, namely, Martius, Maius,
Quinctilis, and October, consisted of thirty-
one days, the other six of thirty'. The four
former were distinguished in the latest form
of the Roman calendar \>y having their nones
two days later than any of the other months.
The symmetry of this arrangement will ap-
pear by placing the numbers in succession :—
31., 30; 31, 30; 31, 30, 30; 31, 30, 30.
The Romulian year therefore consisted of 304
days, and contained thirty-eight nundinae or
weeks ; every eighth day, under the name of
nonae, or nundinae, being especially devoted
to religious and other public purposes. Hence
we find that the number of dies fasti after-
wards retained in the Julian calendar tally
exactly with these thirty-eight nundines; be-
sides which, it may be observed that a year
of 304 days bears to a solar year of 365 days
nearly the ratio of five to six, six of the Ro-
mulian years containing 1824, five of the
nolar years 1825 days; and hence we may
explain the origin of the well-known quin-
quennial period called the lustrum, which
ancient writers expressly call an annus may-
nus; that is, in the modern language of chro-
nology, a cycle. It was consequently the
period at which the Romulian and solar jrears
coincided. The next division of the Roman
year was said to have been made by Numa
Pumpilius, who instituted a lunar year of 12
months and 355 days. Livy says that Xuma
so regulated his lunar year of twelve months
by the insertion of intercalary months, that
at the end of every nineteenth year [vicesimu
anno) it again coincided with the same point
in the sun's course from which it started. It
is well known that 19 years constitute a most
convenient cycle for the junction of a lunar
and solar year. It seems certain that the
Romans continued to use a lunar year for
some time after the establishment of the re-
public ; and it was probably at the time of
the decemviral legislation that the lunar year
was abandoned. By the change which was
then made the year consisted of 12 months,
the length of each of which was as follows :—
Martins,
31
days.
September,
29
days.
Aprilis,
29
)?
October,
31
9)
Maius,
31
))
November,
29
5 )
Junius,
29
??
December,
29
5 )
Quinctilis,
31
j>
Januarius,
29
5 1
Sextilis,
29
>»
Februarius,
28
1 )
The year thus consisted of 355 days, and this
was made to correspond with the solar year
by the insertion of an intercalary month
(mensis intercalaris or intercalarius), called
Jlerccdonius or Mercidonius. This month of
22 or 23 days seems to have been inserted in
alternate years. As the festivals of the Ro-
mans were for the most part dependent upon
the calendar, the regulation of the latter was
entrusted to the college of pontifices, who in
early times were chosen exclusively from the
body of patricians. It was therefore in the
power of the college to add to their other
means of oppressing the plebeians, by keep-
ing to themselves the knowledge of the days
on which justice could be administered, and
assemblies of the people could be held. In
the year 304 b.c., one Cn. Flavius, a secre-
tary (scriba) of Appius Claudius, is said frau-'
dulently to have made the Fasti public. The
other privilege of regulating the year by the
insertion of the intercalary month gave the
pontiffs great political power, which they
were not backward to employ. Every thing
connected with the matter of intercalation
was left to their unrestrained pleasure; and
the majority of them, on personal grounds,
added to or took from the year by capricious
intercalations, so as to lengthen or shorten
the period during which a magistrate re-
mained in office, and seriously to benefit or
injure the firmer of the public revenue. The
calendar was thus involved in complete con-
fusion, and accordingly wre find that in the
time of Cicero the year was three months in
advance of the real solar year. At length, in
the year b.c. 46, Caesar, now master of the
Roman world, employed his authority, as