ROMAN The Roman Republican calendar was of the Greek type (see above), but rude and primitive, dating probably from the times of the Etruscan dynasty, but showing traces of a still earlier period. It consisted of twelve lunar months, Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, De cember, lanuarius, Februarius. Of these, Martius, Maius, Quin tilis and October had each 31 days, the rest 29, save Februarius, which had 28. The ancients attributed this to Numa, and a good tradition, unjustly suspected in ancient and modern times, de Glares that lanuarius and Februarius were additions to an original year of io months. Such a year of course was discontinuous; be tween year and year there was a gap of some 6o days, a phe nomenon quite well authenticated among savage and barbarous people. There was a dead season in winter; as this is better fitted to central European than to Italian climatic conditions, it seems likely that this very ancient calendar was brought by northern invaders. February was popularly thought to end, however, on the 23d, the Terminalia, and it was after this date that intercala tion was made, which took place once or twice in four years. The mensis intercalaris or Mercedonius was followed by the remain ing five days of February ; the recently discovered Fasti Antiates (pre-Julian) show this system in use. In 1S3 B.C. Jan. I ousted Mar. I as the official New Year's day.
The working of the calendar was in the hands of the pontifices, who every month used to watch for the new moon, and, when it was seen, proclaimed from the Capitol the number of days, five or seven, to the Nones. Thus the first day of the month was called kaiendae, or callings. Full moon was called the Ides (ides) ; this, in the four long months, was the 15th, in the others the thirteenth. The Nones (novae), were the ninth day, by inclusive reckoning, before the Ides, i.e., the 5th or 7th respectively. Other days were reckoned as so many before the Kalends, Ides, or Nones, e.g., a(nte) d(iem) iii non(as) Quint(iles), the 3rd day before the Nones of Quintilis=July 5. The 2nd, 6th (or 8th), and 14th (or 16th) were often called postridie kalendas, nonas, idus., i.e., the day after the Kalends, etc. They were all, espe cially the day after the Kalends, unlucky (dies postriduani). The Ides were sacred to Jupiter; on the Kalends, sacrifice was offered to Juno and also to Janus ; the Nones were sometimes a day of festival.
Owing to the clumsiness of the pontifices, and still more to political manoeuvres, by which intercalation was made or omitted recklessly to affect a magistrate's year of office, the calendar got into hopeless confusion by the end of the republic, and Julius Caesar undertook its reformation. In 46 B.C. he intercalated, and furthermore added 67 days between November and December, making a year of 445 days, and so bringing the civil abreast of the natural year. Then began the new, Julian calendar, which, with small modifications, lasted until the Gregorian reform. Its months were those still in use ; intercalation was made, by re peating Feb. 23 (a.d.vi.kal.Mart., hence the name bissextile for a leap-year). The months Quintilis and Sextilis were renamed later, after Julius and Augustus and, in spite of several strenuous efforts of the authorities, other attempts to give a month the name of an emperor were of no permanent effect.
Much of our information comes from inscriptions which set out the whole calendar, with a sign against each day indicating whether it is F(as), or available for legal business, N(efas), or not so available, C(omitialis), or available for a meeting of the Assembly, rp (?nefas, feriae publicee), or a feastday, or END (otercisus), i.e., nefas morning and evening, fas in the middle. Certain other signs refer to special days, as Q(uando) ST(ercus) D(elatum) F(as) (June 15, cleansing of shrine of Vesta), Q (uando) R (ex) C (omitiavit) F (as), March 24.
(H. J. R.)