The Roman Calendar from Numa to Constantine: Time, History, and the Fasti

The Roman calendar, in particular in the form of the Julian calendar of Julius Caesar, was used as the basis for what is, globally, the most important calendar today. This calendar evolved in a series of reforms and revolutions and many of its peculiar features, from the name of the months to the number of days, are still visible. This book traces the history and the peculiar form taken by the calendar.

Offering new reconstructions of the critical stages of the technical, political, medial, and religious history of the Roman calendar, this book demands serious revisions to previous accounts and provides a definitive history of the Roman calendar. This new history enables a fresh understanding of the history of the Christian calendars and stimulates research on other calendars.