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Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Latin
Monthly, the Internet newsletter from
Transparent Language. This month, we’ll take
a look at an interesting topic that can
sometimes be a stumbling block when reading
classical Latin-- the Roman system of
measuring time.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
latine:
Consilia nostra
Idibus Februariis, quo die has litteras
dedi, forum institueram agere Laodiceae
Cibyraticum et Apamense; ex Idibus Martiis
ibidem Synnadense, Pamphylium, Lycaonium,
Isauricum; ex Idibus Maiis in Ciliciam, ut
ibi Iunius consumatur, velim tranquille a
Parthis. Quinctilis, si erit ut volumus, in
itinere est per provinciam redeuntibus
consumendus. Venimus enim in provinciam
Laodiceam Sulpicio et Marcello consulibus
pridie Kalendas Sextiles. Inde nos oportet
decedere a.d. III Kalendas Sextiles. Primum
contendam a Quinto fratre, ut se praefici
patiatur, quod et illo et me invitissimo
fiet.
In English:
My Plans
On February 13th, the day I sent this
letter, I had arranged for a public hearing
to be held at Laodicea for cases from Cibyra
and Apamea; and after March 15th, at the
same place, for cases from Synnada,
Pamphylia and Lycaonia and Isaurum. After
May 15th I am off to Cilicia, in order to
spend the month of June there-- preferably
without being bothered by the Parthians.
July, if it comes out as I wish, is to be
spent traveling back through the province.
For I came into the province of Laodicea on
July 31st, 51 B.C., so it would be fitting
for me to depart from it on July 30th. But I
must first ask my brother Quintus to take
over, if he can bear to do so-- which will
be a very unwelcome circumstance for both
him and me.
Measuring Time in Ancient Rome
Hours: Beginning in the 3rd century B.C.,
Roman days were divided into two parts, the
daytime and the nighttime, each with twelve
hours. But since those two parts were
defined by sunrise and sunset, which vary
according to the season of the year, the
individual hours of daylight were shorter
than the hours of darkness in the winter,
and longer in the summer. The hours were
counted from sunrise: e.g., the "second
hour" referred to the period between one and
two hours after sunrise.
Days: The days were identified by reference
to certain fixed days in each month: the
first (Kalendae or Kalends), the 7th (Nonae
or Nones), and the 15th (Idus or Ides). [In
months with fewer than 31 days, the Nones
was the 5th and the Ides the 13th.] To refer
to any other day, the ancient Romans counted
backwards from the nearest calendar marker,
using the so-called "inclusive reckoning"
system which counts both the first and last
in the series, so that the final number is
one more than simple subtraction would
yield. For example, "a.d. V Kal. Jun." (five
days before the first of June) refers to the
fourth day before June 1-- May 28. Don’t
confuse this a.d. (= ante diem, "before the
day") with the modern A.D. (= anno domini,
"in the year of the Lord").
Months: When Rome was first founded by
Romulus, the year consisted of 10 months:
Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Iunius, Quintilis
("5th"), Sextilis ("6th"), September
("7th"), October ("8th"), November ("9th")
and December ("10th"). Numa Pompilius, the
second king of Rome, is said to have added
Ianuarius (January) and Februarius
(February). Julius Caesar revised the
calendar in 46 B.C., creating the so-called
Julian calendar of 365 days with a leap year
every four years-- the calendar which is the
basis of our own. After the assassination of
Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius suggested
that the month Quintilis be renamed Julius
in his honor. The month Sextilis later
became Augustus to honor Rome’s first
emperor, Octavian (Augustus Caesar).
Years: Roman historians fixed the founding
of Rome in 753 B.C. and dated events from
that starting point: 400 A.U.C. (= ab urbe
condita, "from the city’s being founded") is
equivalent to 354 B.C. But in practical life
the years were referred to by the names of
the consuls who had been elected for that
period.
Can you translate the following Latin
expressions of time, taken from Cicero’s
letters to Atticus?
latine:
Pater nobis decessit a.d. IV Kal. Dec.
Kal. Ianuariis M. Messalla, M. Pisone coss.
"A.d. III Non. Decembr." mendose fuisse
animadverteram.
Idibus Febr.
Comitia in a.d. VI Kal. Sext. dilata sunt.
In English:
My father died on November 27th. (Letter
I.vi)
January 1, 61 B.C. [in the consulships of
Marcus Messalla and Marcus Piso] (Letter
I.xii)
I had noticed that the date was falsely put
down as December 3rd. (Letter I.xiii)
On February 13th. (Letter I.xiv)
Elections have been postponed until July
27th. (Letter I.xvi)
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