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In some calendars, another column of letters, the hebdomadales, sequenced A through G indicate the days of a seven-day cycle. This cycle does not necessarily have a Christian meaning. Romans became interested in astrology in the later years of the Republic, and there is information regarding seven-day weekly circles as early as the first century B.C. These letters are the origin of the dominical letter. |
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Not all calendars recorded exactly the same types of information. Calendars from late Imperial times tended to omit the fasti letters, since the institutions for which they were designed had declined in importance by those times. |
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The so-called "Calendar of 354" omits the fasti notations, for example. This calendar is unique in that it also adds a column of letters, A through K, to indicate the days of the full and new moons. This calendar reflects the interest in astrology that was current in the late Empire. In this calendar, the position of the Sun is noted, and the unlucky days, or dies aegypticae, are also indicated. |
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Roman calendars were produced in a variety of forms, of which a mere handful survive intact today. Only 48 calendars from Italy are extant, and 46 are fragmentary. Only two ancient Roman calendars survive in complete form, both in the form of a codex or book. The Calendar of 354 is one of these, and part of a codex. Papyrus rolls were used prior to the third century A.D., but none are extant. The custom of inscribing calendars on stone to decorate walls became popular during the reign of Augustus. Inscribed in stone, or painted in fresco, these calendars were given bright red letters on a white background, and became known as fasti picti, or painted calendars. Another form, the feriale, is a shorter list of holidays, also inscribed in stone or written in manuscript and intended for specific regions or groups. |
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Two traps in the literature should be brought to the attention of the reader. These traps both concern false information that has been propagated from one source to another. After reading the same story in several different sources, the reader is often tempted to conclude that it must be correct. A myth, like a virus, tends to reproduce. |
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9.1.3.10.1
The Month That Would Not Die |
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You may encounter sources that authoritatively state that the month of Februarius was interrupted after the 23rd day and resumed after the month of Intercalaris to complete its five days (see, e.g., Abell, Exploration of the Universe, p. 148). This "fact" is sheer nonsense, based upon a misunderstanding of the somewhat complex Roman nomenclature for days within a month, described above in section 9.1.2.2.3. |
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9.1.3.10.2
Those Arrogant Emperors |
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A second myth about the Julian calendar has often been perpetuated in the literature. In this story, Julius assigned 29 days to Februarius in common years and 30 days in leap years. Sextilis was assigned 30 days, September 31 days, October 30 days, and |
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