Table showing the
Roman Method of counting the Days of the Month.
(Taken from the Encyclopedia
Britannica, article Calendar.)
|
Days of the Month.
|
March.
May.
July.
October.
|
January.
August.
December.
|
April.
June.
September.
November.
|
February.
|
|
1
|
Kalendæ.
|
Kalendæ.
|
Kalendæ.
|
Kalendæ.
|
|
2
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
4
|
4
|
Prid. Nonas.
|
Prid. Nonas.
|
Prid. Nonas.
|
|
5
|
3
|
Nonæ.
|
Nonæ.
|
Nonæ.
|
|
6
|
Prid. Nonas.
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
7
|
Nonæ.
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
10
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
11
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
12
|
4
|
Prid. Idus.
|
Prid. Idus.
|
Prid. Idus.
|
|
13
|
3
|
Idus.
|
Idus.
|
Idus.
|
|
14
|
Prid. Idus.
|
19
|
18
|
16
|
|
15
|
Idus.
|
18
|
17
|
15
|
|
16
|
17
|
17
|
16
|
14
|
|
17
|
16
|
16
|
15
|
13
|
|
18
|
15
|
15
|
14
|
12
|
|
19
|
14
|
14
|
13
|
11
|
|
20
|
13
|
13
|
12
|
10
|
|
21
|
12
|
12
|
11
|
9
|
|
22
|
11
|
11
|
10
|
8
|
|
23
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
7
|
|
24
|
9
|
9
|
8
|
6
|
|
25
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
|
26
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
|
27
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
|
28
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
Prid. Kal. Mart.
|
|
29
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
|
|
30
|
3
|
3
|
Prid. Kalen.
|
|
|
31
|
Prid. Kalen.
|
Prid. Kalen.
|
|
|
“Instead of distinguishing the days by the ordinal numbers,
first, second, third, etc., the Romans counted backwards from
three fixed epochs; namely, the Kalends, the Nones, and the Ides. The
Kalends were invariably the first day of the month, and were so
denominated because it had been an ancient custom of the pontiffs to
call the people together on that day, to apprise them of the festivals,
or days that were to be kept sacred during the month. The Ides (from an
obsolete verb iduare, to divide) were at the middle of the
month, either the 13th or the 15th day; and the Nones were the ninth
day before the Ides, counting inclusively. From these three terms the
days received their denomination in the following
manner:—
“Those which were
comprised between the Kalends and the Nones were called the days
before the Nones; those between the Nones and the Ides were called
the days before the Ides; and, lastly, all the days after the
Ides to the end of the month were called the days before the
Kalends of the succeeding month.
“In the months of March,
May, July, and October, the Ides fell on the 15th day, and the Nones
consequently on the 7th: so that each of these months had six days
named from the Nones. In all the other months the Ides were on the 13th
and the Nones were on the 5th; consequently there were only four days
named from the Nones. Every month had eight days named from the Ides.
The number of days receiving their denomination from the Kalends
depended on the number of days in the month and the day on which the
Ides fell. For example, if the month contained 31 days, and the Ides
fell on the 13th as was the case in January, August, and December,
there would remain 18 days after the Ides, which, added to the first of
the following month, made 19 days of Kalends. In January, therefore,
the 14th day of the month was called the nineteenth before the
Kalends of February (counting inclusively), the 15th was the 18th
before the Kalends, and so on to the 30th, which was called the third
before the Kalends (tertio Kalendas), the last being the second
of the Kalends, or the day before the Kalends (pridie
Kalendas).”E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
