July

[Horatius Piscinus]

QUINCTILIS


The month of the fifth Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, Quinctilis is dedicated to Jupiter. Quinctilis was known as Flores, "the month of flowers," among some Oscan speaking tribes and was later renamed Julius by the Romans to honor of G. Julius Caesar.


1 N: KALENDS 29 Jun Juno Regina in Aventino 392; Felicitas 49.

2 VI Non 30 Jun N: Put eggs under the hen at New Moon (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.75)

3 V Non 1 Jul N: Land must be manured more particularly while the moon is New, or else at the First Quarter (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.75) Morning rising of Orion issues in period of storms.

4 IV Non 2 Jul N: Pax. Canicula (Procyon in Canis Minor) rises, productive of excessive heat.

5 III Non 3 Jul NP: POPLIFUGIA; Feriae Jovi. Dog Days begin.

6 Prid Non 4 Jul N: Fortuna Muliebris Via Latina ad millarium IV celebrates Coriolanus driven off by supplications of the women of Rome in 488. Ludi Apollinares 212: Sacrifice of an ox and two white she-goats to Apollo and a heifer to Latona. Earth at aphelion.

7 N: NONAE CAPROTINAE: Juno Caprotina (Plut. Rom. 29.2); Pales 267; Ludi Apollinares sacrifices to Consus in the Circus Maximus followed by chariot races (Tertullian De Spec. 5.7); Ancillam Feriae honoring serving girls for their part in turning back Coriolanus in 488.

8 VIII Idus 6 Jul N: Vitulatio Pontifex sacrificed a heifer and first fruits of June to Vitula to ensure life and in thanks for a victory over Etruscans (Macro. 3.2.11). Moon on the equator

9 VII Idus 7 Jul N: Ludi Apollinares with two days of theatrical displays.

10 VI Idus 8 Jul C: Work to be done after the Summer Solstice: the ground must have another?

11 V Idus 9 Jul C: ?turning and the trees must be cleared about the roots and moulded up.

The seed plots, too, must be well cleared by the hoe, the barley harvested, and the threshing floors prepared. (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.71) Moon on the Dragon?s Tail.

12 IV Idus 10 Jul C: Natalis Julius Caesar 100. Moon at perihelion.

13 III Idus 11 Jul C: Apollo in pratis Flaminiis, 431.

Tempests comprehends hail storms, hurricanes, & other calamities of a similar nature, when these take place at the Full Moon, they come upon us with additional intensity. Tempests take their rise in certain noxious constellations ? Arcturus, Orion, & the Kids (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.67)

14 Prid Idus 12 Jul MC: Make your ditches in the night when the Moon is Full (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.75)

15 MNP: IDIBUS Transvectio Equitum procession of the equites in red togae from Porta Capena to the Capitoline where sacrifices were made to Castor and Pollux. Battle of Lake Regillus, 496. Full Moon

Cover up the roots of trees while the Moon is Full (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.75)

16 XVII Kal Sext 14 Jul MF: Sulpicius? failure to attain omens, is defeated by Gauls at Allia, in 390. Tradition not to hold any rites or marriages on day after the Ides.

17 XVI Kal Sext 15 Jul MC: Honos 233; Honos et Virtus ante Portam Capenam, 205

18 XV Kal Sext 16 Jul MC: Dies Ater Fabii ambushed at Cremera, 477; Gauls defeat Sulpicius at Allia, 390, leads to sack of Rome

19 XIV Kal Sext 17 Jul MNP: LUCARIA: "Letting in the Light" ritual ground clearing by cutting back shrubs to the roots and burning prunings, celebrated at a sacred grove between the Tiber and Via Salaria. The Great Fire of Rome under Nero, 64 CE. Conjunction of Mars and Moon.

20 XIII Kal Sext 18Jul C: Ludi Victoria Caesaris in circo (20-30 July)

21 XII Kal Sext 19 Jul NP: LUCARIA ritual clearing of sacred grove continued with an uprooting of shrubs. Sacrifices made to the indigitamenta Coinquenda (felling) Commolenda (cutting), Deferunda (parcelling) and Adolenda (burning).. Moon on the equator.

22 XI Kal Sext 20 Jul C: Concordiae Saturnus and Rhea

23 X Kal Sext 21 Jul NP: NEPTUNALIA Sacrifices to Neptunus and Salacia.

24 IX Kal Sext 22 Jul N: Make seed plots when the moon is above the horizon. Moon at apogee.

25 VIII Kal Sext NP: FURRINALIA at the Grove of Furrina where C Gracchus was slain, 123.

26 VII Kal Sext 24 Jul C: All vegetable productions are cut, gathered, and housed to more advantage

27 VI Kal Sext 25 Jul C: while the moon is on the wane (Pliny Nat. Hist. 18.75).

28 V Kal Sext 26 Jul C: Conjunction of Moon and Saturn. As the wolf falls upon the flock?

29 IV Kal Sext 27 Jul C: ? the rain upon ripe corn, the Sirocco on trees? (Virgil Eclog 3.80-1)

30 III Kal Sext 28 Jul C: Fortuna Huiusce Diei in Campo Martio, 101

31 Prid Kal Sext 29 Jul C: New Moon Interlunium from the conjunction of the moon and four days

[Horatius Piscinus]

Salvete

Come July first I will once again be taking office as rector of our Collegium. What all that may mean I am still considering, but one thing will be a return to consideration of producing a calendar for SVR. The one currently posted to our Collegium's website was meant only as a rough draft. It needs cleaning up and some corrections.

With this first installment for July I have changed my format over to one more like an almanac, using some farming advice taken from Pliny's Liber XVIII of the Natural History. This is just to fill it out more and give it a different dimension. Since I work with a modified calendar, made in relation to the lunar cycle, some explanation needs to made with the material I have in my almanac

Each day of the month will be noted in three ways. First is the day of the month that may be used either with a Julian or Gregorian calendar reckoning. I am using a modified Julian calendar, so the astronomical information will not appear on the same dates as you would find in almanacs using a Gregorian calendar. While the Julian calendar differs by thirteen days from that of the Gregorian, my reckoning is based according to the Lunar cycle, which for this year places the individual months only two or three days different. I adjust my months by placing the Ides at the Full Moon as it should be, then move backwards to the kalends so that it falls on or near the New Moon. The second information is the date's designation in the Roman fashion, according to its relation to the kalendae, nones, or idibus. Then is given a Gregorian date. These are then followed by a letter designation for the type of day.

F: fastus is an ordinary working day
C: comitialis are days when the Comitia may assemble
N: nefastus are days when public business and certain types of work were banned due to religious reasons.
EN: endotercisus were days where the morning and evening were held to be nefastus while the afternoons were fastus.
NP: possibly nefastus publicus marked the important public festivals.
M: mercatus I have included to mark the market days of summer that were a kind of festival in themselves, being like country fairs.

The other information you will find are the many festivals held by the Romans. The important festivals, supposedly dating to Romulus and Numa, are given in bold capital letters. Most of the other festivals concern the dedication (natalis) of a temple, and where the name of the deity is given in bold script, its dedication year follows. All dates are Before the Common Era unless otherwise noted. A brief explanation is given for other noted days. Some historical events are noted, astronomical events of interest, and then farming advice, mainly from Pliny.

Any questions on what is listed on the calendar can be made on a monthly topic, so that eventually we can decide what we want in our calendar for the website. In what is currently at the site, and what will appear in my monthly posts, I have purposely included more material than is necessary. I would like the comments of other collegae to pare these down to a useful reference. Also additional information to be added may be generated by discussing the various festivals noted. But this will be an ongoing process for the coming year and hopefully a joint project for all collegae to embrace since this is intended to become something of use for the entire Collegium.

Valete optime
M Moravius Piscinus

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salve Piscine

A Roman calender is nice, but what about an Hellenic calender as well. I know that Claudianus was working on one, but i don't know how far he has gotten. The Hellenic calender is simpley based upon the Athenian calender. I know that today was the beginning of the Hellenic new year and the month of Hekatombaion where there are several important festivals take place like the Panathenaia (if not mistaken, i have to verify this) and the Kronia and perhaps one other festival. I can post the historical observance as the modern observance on these festivals, but i'm somewhat hesitant to post the rituals as well. Maybe i should do this in another thread for the month July- Hekatombaion.
vale
Romulus

[Horatius Piscinus]

Salvete Orce et collegae omnes

I would not know about the Greek calendar, so I would find it of interest if one was prepared. And an Egyptian calendar might also be of interest here if anyone would care to take on that task. Since my intent is to post a separate thread for each month the Greek, Egyptian or whatever could be posted in the same monthly threads as I will for the Roman calendar. But for the final products I think it would be best to make separate calendars for each tradition. Along with this too, if anyone would care to cover the early Christian calendars, there is one available in Mary Beard's Religions of Rome. With a little research this might be expanded upon to cover the diverse sects of early Christianity.

Valete optime
Moravius Piscinus

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salve Piscine
Since i saw this thread yesterday i was preparing an Hellenic calendar, not just for here, but for personal use along with the daily devotions to each deity or hero and festivals. I have already prepared the month of Hekatombaion, which is the January of the Hellenic calendar. So right now i shall post this in another thread or so called Hekatombaion- July. The Hellenic months have a regulary daily devotions to Agathos Daimon, Dikhomenia, Noumenia, Artemis, Apollo, Herakles, Aphrodite and Eros, Poseidon and Theseus and Hekate and the ancestors.
1) Noumenia (new moon)
2) Agathos Daimon
3) Athena
4) Hermes, Herakles, Aphrodite and Eros
6) Artemis
7) Apollo
Poseidon, Theseus and Asklepios
15) Dikhomenia (full moon)
16) Artemis/ Selen
30) Hekate and the ancestors
Vale
Romulus