1024 
RECKONING OF TIME AMONG THE ROMANS. 
So that the rule above given requires some modification in this case. To reduce a date of February in leap-year 
to the Roman date, for the first 23 days, proceed according to the prescribed rule, as if the month had only 28 days. 
For the last five days, proceed as if it had 29 days. The bissextum is always the 24th. 
In Caesar's calendar, the year was divided into eight periods. The points which marked these were thus 
entered r—. 
Bruma .25th December 
Veris initium .7th February ; 
JEquinoctium vernum.. .25th March ; 
yEstatis initium .9th May ; 
Solstitium .24th June 3 
Autumni initium .11th August; 
AEquinoclium autumni. .24th September ; 
Hiemis initium .11th November. 
Ir. this arrangement, he intended to make the beginning of summer correspond with the heliacal rising of the 
Pleiades 3 that of winter with the cosmical setting of the same constellation; and that of autumn with the cosmical 
setting of the Lyre. The sign of the arrival of spring, with the Romans, was the blowing of the Favonius or warm 
west wind. 
The week of seven days was not in use among the Romans under the republic, nor for a long time after Christ. 
It wa« brought in at length by the influence of Christianity. The Romans had however what may be called a 
week of eight days ; for on every eighth day ( nono quoque die, after the Roman way of speaking, whence the name 
nundince ), the country citizen came into the city to transact business, and take part in public affairs. It was 
ordained that every proposed law should be posted up in public for three nundince or market-days (a trinundinum, 
as it was called, equal of course to 17 days), that all might read it. (See Nundince. in the vocabulary.) 
The year was designated at Rome by the names of its consuls. (See Consul in the vocabulary.) But in the 
works of Roman authors, the year of the city is also often mentioned. To reduce this to our reckoning, we must 
know in what year Rome was supposed to have been built. Cato fixed the foundation of the city in the year 752 
B. 0.; but Varro, whose computation is considered as more worthy of confidence, in the year 753 B. C. If now 
we have a year of the city given bearing a number less than 754, we have only to subtract the given number from 
754 for the year B. C. In like manner, to reduce a given year before Christ to its corresponding Roman year, we 
subtract the number of the year from 754. If, on the other hand, the number of the Roman year exceeds 753, as it 
always does if the date be subsequent to the Christian era (for this era is regarded as a point of time, not as a 
year), we deduct 753 from the given number, and have for a remainder the year after Christ. If again we would 
find the year of the city corresponding to a given year after Christ, we add the number of this year to 753, and we 
get the year sought. For example, Caesar was assassinated in the year of Rome 710; it is required to find the 
corresponding year B. C. Our rule gives 754—710=44, the year required. Suppose we know that Caesar’s 
reformed calendar went into effect on the first of January, 45 B. C., and would reduce this to the year of Rome 1 
we have, now, 754—45=709. Herculaneum and Pompeii were buried A. D. 79. What year of Rome expresses 
this date? We have 753-f-79=832. The emperor Augustus died A. U. C. 767: the corresponding year of our 
era is designated by 767—753=14. 
