The Roman Day www.misterconnor.org

The Length of a Day Hora prima (first hour) The Romans used twenty-four hours as we do. Twelve in the daylight, twelve in the dark. Each hour had an equal length. Problem: Daylight/ night hours changed length in Summer/ Winter. Hora prima (first hour) Hora septima (seventh hour) Hora secunda (second hour) Hora octava (eighth hour) Hora terzia (third hour) Hora nona (ninth hour) Hora quarta (fourth hour) Hora decima (tenth hour) Hora quinta (fifth hour) Hora undecima (eleventh hour) Hora sexta (sixth hour) Hora duodecima (twelfth hour).

Martial “The first and second hours grind down those attending the morning court sitting; the third gets shouty lawyers going; before the fifth hour, Rome offers out her various tasks; the sixth gives peace and quiet to the weary; the seventh brings an end. The eighth and ninth is just right for the oil-shy wrestler; the ninth commands us to squash down on the heaped up couches for dinner. The tenth hour, Euphemus, is poetry time when you carefully arrange the ambrosian feasts and good old Caesar relaxes with ethereal nectar and holds his temperate cup in his mighty hand.”

The Days of the Week Dies Saturni Day of Saturn Saturday Dies Solis Day of the Sun Sunday Dies Lunae Day of the Moon Monday (Fr. Lundi) Dies Martis Day of Mars Tuesday (Fr. Mardi) Dies Mercurii Day of Mercury Wednesday (Fr. Mercredi) Dies Jovis Day of Jupiter Thursday (Fr. Jeudi) Dies Veneris Day of Venus Friday (Fr. Vendredi)

Roman Months Ianuarius (after Janus) Iulius [orig. Quintilis] (after Julius Caesar) Februarius (after the Februa new-year festivals) Augustus [orig. Sextilis] (after the emperor) Martius (after Mars) September (7th month) Aprilis (after the Etruscan god Aprilis) October (8th month) Maius (after Maia) November (9th month) Iunius (after Juno) December (10th month)

Within the Month Kalends Kalendae (1st day of the month) [start of a new lunar cycle) Nones Nonae (5th of the month, except March, May, July & October - 7th) [half-moon] Ides Idus (13th of the month, except March, May, July & October – 15th) [full-moon] Romans counted back from these fixed dates. So, the 2nd of September would be Ante (before) diem (day) IV Nonas September. Literally, the fourth day before the Nones.

Year Length The original Republican calendar, aligned to the moon’s cycle, had only 355 days. Due to this shortfall, the year fell behind the seasons – Summer in December? Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, according to the solar cycle, in 46 BCE. 46 BCE had fifteen months (445 days) so the calendar could be corrected. This new (Julian) calendar had 365 days and featured leap years. It was calculated by the Egyptians. This calendar existed until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the calendar we use today.

Recording the Years Years were remembered either by: the Consuls appointed for that year, or the number of years since the founding of Rome in 753 BCE. So, 79 AD was both: Year of the consulship of Augustus and Vespasianus, and 832 Ab urbe condita (since the city was founded)

Further study …is likely to drive you mad.