Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

226 CALENDARIUMS CALENDARIUM.
The system of the Cretans was the same as that used by most of the inhabitants of Asia Minor,
viz. -
1. Thesmophorion (Oeraepqpoopa,), contained 31 days, and began on the 23rd of September.
2. HIermacus ('Epsaaos) 30 - 24th of October.
3. miialen (E'tasv) 31 - 23rd of November.
4. Metarchius (Me'rdpXLos) - 31 - 24th of December.
5. Agyius ('Ayvios) - 28 - 24th of January.
6. Dioscurus (Atelsrovpos) 31 21st of Febrsary.
7. Theodosius (~eosdosos) 30 - 23rd of March.
8. Pontus (YlVTrOS) - 31 23rd of April.
9. Rhabinthius ('PaCvrLos) - 30 - 24th of May.
10. Hyperberetus ('repEpEveos) - 31 - 23rd of June.
11. Necysins (NeFcde1Oe) - 30 - 24th of July.
12. Basilius (Baciros) - 31 - 23rd of August.
It should be olbserved that several of the Eastern serves, were distinguished in the latest form of
nations, for the purpose of preventing confusion in the Roman calendar by having their nones two
their calculations with other nations, dropped the days later than any of the other months. The
nanles of their months, and merely counted the symmetry of this arrangement will appear by
months, as the first, second, third, &c. month. placing the numbers in succession: — 31, 30; 31,
For further information see Corsini, Fast. Att., 30; 31, 30, 30; 31; 30, 30. Ovid, indeed, apwhich however is very imperfect; Ideler, Hand- pears to speak of the months as coinciding with the
blach, der Matsemas. u. teclinisciez s Clsronol. vol. i. p. lunar period:
227, &c.; Clinton, Facst. lIellen. vol. ii. Append. "Annus erat decimum cum lma repleverat annum:"
xix,; and: more especially K. F. Ilermann, Ueber but the language of a poet must not be pressed too
C~richlisclse Iosonatskuznde, Ghttingen, 1844, 4to., closely. On the other hand, Plutarch, in the pasand Th. Bergk, Beitrchige zcur Griechiscees Allonats- sage already referred to, while he assigns to the old
k2szcNsde, Giessen, 1 845, 8vo. - [L. S.] year twelve months and 365 days, speaks of the
2. ROMA.N CALENDAR.- Te Year of Ronulszss. months as varying without system between the
-The name of Romulus is commonly attached to limits of twenty and thirty-five days. Such an
the year which is said to have prevailed in the irregularity is not incredible, as we find that even
earliest times of Rome; but tradition is not con- when Censorinus wrote (A. D. 238), the Alban
sistent with regard to the form of it. The his- calendar gave 36 days to March, 22 to May, 18 to
torians Licinius Macer and Fenestella maintained Sextilis, ad 16 to September; while at Tusculum
that the oldest year consisted of twelve months, Quinctilis had 36 days, October 32; and again at
and thlat it was already in those days an annas Aricia the same month, October, had no less than
vertens, that is, a year which coincided with the 39. (Cesorinus, c. 22.) The Romulian year, if
period of the sun's course. Censorinus, however, we follow the majority of authors, contained but
in whose work this statement occurs (De Die 304 days; a period differing so widely from the real
Natali, c. 20; compare also the beginning of c. 19), length of the suns course that the months would
goes on to say that more credit is due to Grac-apidly revolve through al the seasons of the ea
rapidly revolve throngh all the seasons of the year.
canus, Fulvius (Nobilior), Varro, and others, ac- This inconvenience was remedied, says Macrobius
cording to whom the Romans iii the earliest times, (i. 13), hy the addition of the proper number of
like the people of Alba from whom they sprang, days required to complete the year; but these days,
allotted to the year but tell months. This opinion he goes on to say, did not receive any name as a
is supported by Ovid in several passages of his month. Servius speaks of the intercalated period
Fastzi (i. 27, 43, iii. 99, 119, 151);by Gelinus as consisting of two months, which at first had no
(NAoct. Alt. iii. 16), Macrobius (Satwsrs. i. 12), name, but were eventually called after Janus and
Solinus (Poliah. i.), and Servius (ad Georg. i. 43). Febrnus. That solne system of intercalation was
Lastly, an old Latin year of ten months is implied employed in the Romulian year, was also the
in the fact, that at Laurentuml (Macrob. i. 15) a opinion of Licinius Macer. (Macrob. i. 13.) This
sacrifice was offered to Juno Kalendaris on the appears to be all that is handed down with regard
first of every month except February and January. to the earliest year of the Romans.
These ten months were called Martins, Aprilis, As a year of ten months and 304 days, at once
lMaius, Junius, Quinctilis, Sextilis, September, falls greatly short of the solar year, and contains
October, November, December. That March was no exact number of lhnations, some have gone so
the first month in the year is implied in the last far as to dispute the truth of the tradition in whole
six names; and even Plutarch, who ascribes twelve or part, while others have taxed their ingenuity to
months to the Romnlian year (Nsmuna, c. 18), account for the adoption of so anomalous a year.
places Januarius and Februarius at the end. The Puteanus (De Nslzdiszis, in Graevius' Thesaurus,
fact is also confirmed by the ceremony of rekindling vol. viii.), calling to mind that the old Roman or
the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta on the first Etruscals week contained eight days *, every eighth
day of March, by the practice of placing fresh
laurels in the public buildings on that day, andd by * Hence there are found attached to the sicmany other customs recorded by Macrobius (i. cessive days in the old calendars the recurring
12). With regard to the length of the months, series of letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, no doubt
Censorinus, Macrobius, and Solinus agree in ascrib- for the purpose of fixing the nundines in the week
ing thirty-one days to four of them, called pletsi of eight days; precisely in the same way in which
menses; thirty to the rest called cavi nzenses. The the first seven letters are still employed in ecclefour longer months were Martius, Mains, Quinc- siastical calendars, to mack the days of the Christilis, and October; and these, as Macrobius ob- tian.week.