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The early Roman civil year consisted of 304 days (ten months
beginning with March and ending with December, decem = ten)
consisting of 38 nundinis of 8 days each (Frank
1956:60). The lunar month used by the
early Romans alternated between 30 and 29 days accounting for a year of 295
days. About 700 BCE two additional months became part of the calendar�January
and February. Later the lunar month became obsolete as months of 30 and 31
days, except for February, became adopted.
Frank writes:
Later Numa, adding January and February,
introduced luna years of 355 days with leap months. Since the priests did not
minister the intercalculaion correctly, they caused a lot of confusion, which
Julius Caesar corrected by giving the year 708 about 445 days. The anus
confusionis which ran from October 13th, 47 to December 31st, 46 BCE,
finally brought order out of confusion. (Frank 1956:60.)
Julius Caesar in 46 BCE modified the 365-day calendar by
requiring every fourth year to have 366 days. The Roman method of numbering days appears somewhat
unusual. Each day became reckoned from the period to follow�calends,
nomes, and ides.
The First Month in the Roman Julian Calendar -- March
|
Day of
the Month
|
Name of the Day
|
Day of
the Month
|
Name of the Day
|
| 1 |
calends |
17 |
16th day before the calends |
| 2 |
4th day before the nomes |
18 |
15th day before the calends |
| 3 |
3rd day before the nomes |
19 |
14th day before the calends |
| 4 |
eve of the nomes |
20 |
13th day before the calends |
| 5 |
nomes |
21 |
12th day before calends |
| 6 |
8th day before the ides |
22 |
11th day before calends |
| 7 |
7th day before the ides |
23 |
10th day before calends |
| 8 |
6th day before the ides |
24 |
9th day before calends |
| 9 |
5th day before the ides |
25 |
8th day before calends |
| 10 |
4th day before the ides |
26 |
7th day before calends |
| 11 |
3rd day before the ides |
27 |
6th day before calends |
| 12 |
eve of the ides |
28 |
5th day before calends |
| 13 |
ides |
29 |
4th day before calends |
| 14 |
19th day before calends |
30 |
3rd day before calends |
| 15 |
18th day before calends |
31 |
eve of the calends |
| 16 |
17th day before calends |
|
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A solar year may be defined
as the time it takes the earth to make one orbit about the sun. A normal
Gregorian year contains 365 days, but one orbit of the earth takes an extra 5
hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to complete every year (Zinberg
1963:29). If nothing were done to compensate for this extra 1/4 day every
year, every 120 years the seasons would have shifted by one month.
To adjust for this extra time accumulation the Julian calendar, adopted by
Julius Caesar, added a 29th day to February every fourth year because a partial
day could not be added every year. This extended the year to 366 days every four
years, commonly known as a leap year. The Julian calendar also divided the year
into 12 months that varied between 28 and 31 days.
The Roman Julian Calendar
|
Number of
the Month
|
Name of
the Month
|
Number of days
in the month
|
| First |
March |
31 |
| Second |
April |
30 |
| Third |
May |
31 |
| Fourth |
June |
30 |
| Fifth |
July |
31 |
| Sixth |
August |
31 |
| Seventh |
September |
30 |
| Eighth |
October |
31 |
| Ninth |
November |
30 |
| Tenth |
December |
31 |
| Eleventh |
January |
31 |
| Twelfth |
February |
28 (29 every fourth year) |
The addition of 24 hours every four years exceeds the
accumulated four-year difference by 44 minutes and 56 seconds. Multiplying 4
years by 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds yields 23 hours 15 minutes 4 seconds.
This correction of 24 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds every four years is therefore
excessive by 44 minutes 56 seconds. See Zinberg
1963:29). This extra time accumulated until Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582 CE,
reformed the Julian calendar (see The Gregorian Calendar).
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Page last
edited:
02/12/06 02:42 PM |
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