Two Revisions to D-G’s Table of Julian Equivalents for Roman Dates For the Years 59 and 58 and for the Years 55 and 541 §1 58 BC, not 59, was intercalary: D-G 3.774 expressed uncertainly over whether intercalation took place in 59 or 58. Although they arbitrarily decided in favor of 59, two considerations make it far more probable that 58 was the intercalary year. The chief clue is furnished by the pattern of recurring “market days” (nundinae), which fell every 9th day (by inclusive reckoning), thereby dividing the year into 8-day units of time resembling our 7-day weeks. The argument goes as follows: if intercalation occurred in 59, instead of 58, then the day to which the consul M. Bibulus postponed the elections in 59, a.d. xv Kal. Nov. (Oct. 18),2 was a market day, which made it unlawful for a voting assembly to meet.3 If there was no intercalation in 58, it is a certainty that a.d. xv Kal. Nov. 59 was a market day4 because precisely 744 days,5 a number divisible by 8 (93 nundinal intervals), separate that day from a.d. x Kal. Dec. (Nov. 21) 57, which Cicero (Att. 4.3[75 SB].4) explicitly identifies as a market day. So, given the high improbability that Bibulus called for an election on a date on which it was unlawful to conduct one, the logical assumption is that Oct. 18, 59 BC was not nundinal. This indeed is true if intercalation occurred in 58, not 59, since in that case the attested market day Nov. 21, 57 was separated from Oct. 18, 59 by 744 + 23 days, = 767, a number not divisible by 8.6 And a further argument in favor of inserting the intercalary month in 58, instead of 59, is that the Kalends of Jan. 58 ceases to coincide with a market day, as it does under D-G’s scheme and is so marked.7 The Romans are said to have regarded it as inauspicious for a year to begin with a market day, and they tried to avoid that happenstance whenever possible.8 §2 55 BC, not 54, was intercalary: An inscription published in AE 1992:177, which makes reference to the Kalends of an intercalary month in the second consulship of Pompey and Crassus (55 BC), settles the issue once and for all in favor of 55 over 54: 1 W. Drumann, Geschichte Roms, 2nd ed. by P. Groebe, vol. 3 (Leipzig, 1906), 780-825. Cic. Att. 2.20[40 SB].6. 3 A. Michels, The Calendar of the Roman Republic (Princeton, 1967), 40-41. 4 And it is so designated by DG 3.793. 5 71 days in 59 (Oct. 19-31 [= 13] + Nov. 1-29 + Dec. 1-29) + 355 days in 58 + 318 days in 57 (355 less Nov. 22-29 [= 8] and Dec. 1-29) = 744 days. 6 See A. Lintott, A. 1968. “Nundinae and the Chronology of the Late Roman Republic.” CQ 18 (1968), 192 and R. Kaster ed. Cicero, Speech on behalf of Publius Sestius. Oxford, 2006), 394-97, who adds supporting arguments drawn from the political activities of the tribune Clodius in the opening months of 58. 7 I thank my friend John D. Morgan for pointing this out to me. 8 Macrob. Sat. 1.13.17; Dio 40.47.1-2 commenting on the yeaer 52 BC; Dio 48.33.4, a single day intercalated in 41 to prevent a market day from coinciding with Kal. Jan. 40. 2 civil calendar 59-58 BC 55-54 BC rev. 22 Nov. 2015 1 Rufio / Vevei // Cn(aeo) Po(mpeio) M(arco) Li(cinio) II // sp(ectavit) Kal(endis) Int(ercalaribus). In the following tables, market days (nundinae) are marked in boldface and highlighted. — 59 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 792 January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 xvi K. Feb. xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Feb. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvi xv xiv civil calendar February xiii K. Mart. xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Mart. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii 59-58 BC ecl. March April xvi K. Apr. xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Apr. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi Equinox v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv 55-54 BC xiv K. Mai. xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Mai. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi rev. 22 Nov. 2015 May xv K. Jun. xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Jun. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv. June xiii K. Quint. xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Quint. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii Solstice pr. Id. xvii xvi xv 2 — 59 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 793 July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 xiv K. Sext. xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Sext. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii civil calendar August xii K. Sept. xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Sept. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi 59-58 BC ecl. September x K. Oct. ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Oct. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi Equinox xv xiv xiii xii 55-54 BC October xi K. Nov, x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Nov. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x November ix K. Dec. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Dec. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix rev. 22 Nov. 2015 December viii K. Jan. vii vi v iv iii pr. 696 K. Jan. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv Solstice xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii 3 — 58 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 794 January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 vi K. Feb. v iv iii pr. K. Feb. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Interc. iv civil calendar February March April May June iii Non. Inter pri. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii ecl. pr. Id. xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Mart. vi v 59-58 BC 55-54 BC rev. 22 Nov. 2015 4 — 55 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 800 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 January February pr. Non. Feb. Non. viii vii vi pr. Id. Intercal. Id. xv xiv v iv iii pr. Id. xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Intercal. iv iii pri. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii civil calendar xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Mart. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv 59-58 BC March iii Id. Mar. pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii r vi v iv iii pr. K. Apr. iv iii pr. Equinox Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. 55-54 BC April May Id. Apr. xvii xvi xv pr. Id. Mai. Id. xvii xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Mai. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii rev. 22 Nov. 2015 xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Jun. iv iii pr. Non. Jun. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. June xvii K. Quint. xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Quint. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii Solstice vi v iv iii pr. 5 — 55 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 801 July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Id. Quint. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Sext. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii civil calendar August xvi K. Sept. xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Sept. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv 59-58 BC September xiv K. Oct. xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Oct. vi v iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii Equinox pr. Id. xvii xvi 55-54 BC October xv K. Nov. xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Nov. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv rev. 22 Nov. 2015 November xiii K. Dec. xii xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Dec. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iiii pr. Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii December xii K. Jan. xi x ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. 700 K. Jan. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Solstice Id. xvii xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi 6 — 54 — to replace D-G vol. 3: 802 January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 x K. Feb. ix viii vii vi v iv iii pr. K. Feb. iv iii pr. Non. viii vii vi v iv iii pr. Id. xvi xv xiv xiii xii xi x ix viii civil calendar February March April May June vii K. Mar. vi v iv iii pr. K. Mar. 59-58 BC 55-54 BC rev. 22 Nov. 2015 7