Ancient Roman ''fasti'' were calendars ''(

fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...

)'' that recorded religious observances and officially commemorated events. They were typically displayed in the form of an inscription at a prominent public location such as a major

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

; several of these ''fasti'' survive, but in states of varying fragmentation. Some calendars are preserved as

papyri Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can ...

or manuscripts. One of the original purposes of Roman calendars was to mark the religious and legal status of each day, by means of letters such as ''C, F,'' and ''NP''. By the late 2nd century AD, extant calendars no longer show days marked with these letters, probably in part as a result of calendar reforms undertaken by

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

. A ''feriale'' is a listing only of dates for religious or official observances, not a day-by-day accounting of time. The words ''fasti'' and ''feriale'' are not always distinct in usage, and both ''fasti'' and ''ferialia'' are listed below. Extant ''fasti'' include those known by the following names: * ''Fasti Allifani'' (CIL IX 2320) * ''Fasti Amiternini'', dating to the reign of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

, were found at

Amiternum Amiternum was an ancient Sabine city, then Roman city and later bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see in the central Abruzzo region of modern Italy, located from L'Aquila. Amiternum was the birthplace of the historian Sallust (86 BC). Histo ...

(now

San Vittorino San Vittorino Amiterno is a village in the Abruzzo, region of central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of L'Aquila. History S. Vittorino is important because the ancient Roman city of Amiternum Amiternum was an ancient Sabine ci ...

) in

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

territory. * ''

Fasti Antiates Maiores The Fasti Antiates Maiores is a painted wall-calendar from the late Roman Republic, the oldest archaeologically attested local Roman calendar and the only such calendar known from before the Julian calendar reforms. It was created between 84 ...

'' (84–55 BC), from the '' colonia'' of

Antium Antium was an Ancient history, ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people unti ...

, is the earliest Roman calendar to survive; its large size (1.16m by 2.5 m) allowed the presentation of complex condensed information. * ''Fasti Antiates Ministrorum Domus Augustae'', also from Antium, includes a list of ''ministri'' from the imperial household as well as a calendar. * ''Feriale Cumanum'' (4–14 AD), from

Cumae Cumae ( or or ; ) was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BCE. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of ...

, was produced during the reign of Augustus and marks several occasions of relevance to the establishment of

Imperial cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult (religious practice), Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejor ...

. These include a

supplicatio In ancient Roman religion, a ''supplicatio'' is a day of public prayer during times of crisis or a thanksgiving for receipt of aid. During days of public prayer, Roman men, women, and children traveled in procession to religious sites around the ...

n for Jupiter Sempiternus to commemorate the assumption of the ''

fasces A fasces ( ; ; a , from the Latin word , meaning 'bundle'; ) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, often but not always including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etrus ...

'' by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, sacrifices on the birthday of Augustus, and the date on which he assumed the ''

toga virilis The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tra ...

''. It is one of only two ancient sources that record the first

consulship The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

of Augustus (disputed as August 19 or September 22), the other being the ''

senatus consultum A (Latin: decree of the senate, plural: ) is a text emanating from the senate in Ancient Rome. It is used in the modern phrase '' senatus consultum ultimum''. Translated into French as , the term was also used during the French Consulate, the ...

'' that renamed the month of

Sextilis Sextilis () or ''mensis Sextilis'' was the Latin name for what was originally the sixth month in the Roman calendar The Roman calendar was the calendar used by the Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic. Although the term is primarily used for ...

''Augustus'' (August). The goddess Vesta is prominent in this ''feriale''. * ''

Feriale Duranum The ''Feriale Duranum'' is a calendar of religious observances for a Roman military garrison at Dura-Europos on the Euphrates, Roman Syria, under the reign of Severus Alexander (224–235 AD). History and description The small papyrus roll was ...

'', a calendar of religious observances for a military unit stationed in

Dura-Europos Dura-Europos was a Hellenistic, Parthian Empire, Parthian, and Ancient Rome, Roman border city built on an escarpment above the southwestern bank of the Euphrates river. It is located near the village of Al-Salihiyah, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, S ...

Roman Syria Roman Syria was an early Roman province annexed to the Roman Republic in 64 BC by Pompey in the Third Mithridatic War following the defeat of King of Armenia Tigranes the Great, who had become the protector of the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria. ...

in the 3rd century AD. * ''Fasti Esquilini'' * ''Fasti Guidizzolenses'', a small stone calendar (55 by 30 cm) probably produced for private use, found in Augusta Brixia (present-day

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

), a civic

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

''(colonia civica)''. It is arranged month-by-month in columns, with the

Kalends The calends or kalends () is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word "calendar" is derived from this word. Use The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a new lunar pha ...

, Nones and Ides marked. These columns contain no letters marking the

nundinal cycle The nundinae (, ), sometimes anglicized to nundines,. were the market days of the ancient Roman calendar, forming a kind of weekend including, for a certain period, rest from work for the ruling class (patricians). The nundinal cycle, market ...

or the status of days under religious law, nor holidays. Information on festivals is given in a small ''feriale'' (festival calendar) on the right side of the main calendar. * ''Fasti Maffeiani'', both one of the smallest examples (90 by 70 cm) and one of the most complete. Its date is uncertain;

Mario Torelli Mario Torelli (May 12, 1937 – September 15, 2020) was an Italian scholar of Italic archaeology and the culture of the Etruscans. He taught at the University of Perugia. Torelli was born in Rome, Italy. He was trained by the art historian Ranuc ...

places it as 8 AD or later. * ''

Fasti Ostienses The ''Fasti Ostienses'' are a calendar of Roman magistrates and significant events from 49 BC to AD 175, found at Ostia, the principal seaport of Rome. Together with similar inscriptions, such as the ''Fasti Capitolini'' and ''Fasti Triumphale ...

'', fragmentary marble slabs from

Ostia Antica Ostia Antica () is an ancient Roman city and the port of Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber. It is near modern Ostia, southwest of Rome. Due to silting and the invasion of sand, the site now lies from the sea. The name ''Ostia'' (the pl ...

. In addition to religious observances, they record events from 49 BC to 175 AD, listing the

consuls A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

for each year, events of significance to the Empire as a whole, the local '' duoviri'', and some local events. * ''

Fasti Praenestini In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...

'', with

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

commentary on the Roman calendar by

Verrius Flaccus Marcus Verrius Flaccus (c. 55 BCAD 20) was a Roman grammarian and teacher who flourished under Augustus and Tiberius. Life He was a freedman, and his manumitter has been identified with Verrius Flaccus, an authority on pontifical law; but for ...

. It lacks astronomical notices. * ''Fasti Vallenses'' * ''Fasti Vaticani'', dating 15–31 AD, under the reign of

. * ''Fasti Venusini'' * ''Fasti Verulani'' * ''

Fasti Vindobonenses The ''Fasti vindobonenses'' are two sets of late antique consular annals ("fasti"), found in the '' Vindobonensis'' manuscript MS. 3416, together with the Chronography of 354. They were previously known as ''Anonymus Cuspiniani'', since they were p ...

'', found in the '' Vindobonensis'' manuscript (MS. 3416), together with the

Chronography of 354 The Chronograph of 354 is a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrator Furius Dionysius Filocalus. The original illustrated manuscri ...

. There are two sets, one covering 44 BC to 403 AD, and 455 to 493 AD; and the other 44 BC to 397 AD, 439 to 455 AD, and 495 to 539.Salzman, ''On Roman Time,'' p. 24.

References

{{Reflist Roman calendar

See also

References