Moderators: Aldus Marius, Valerius Claudius Iohanes
What does *not* work is any attempt at sidereal dating.
The ancients themselves kept changing it; as long as we use something they used, it satifies the Romanitas requirement as far as I'm concerned.
So far I've seen three strong candidates for "Roman New Year":
- Kalends of Ianuarius (1 Ian), the beginning of the Consular year
- Kalends of March, the beginning of the old Roman year, the agricultural year, and the war-fighting season
- 21 April, the anniversary date of the foundation of Rome, which is what "Ab Urbe condita" (from the foundation of the City) actually means.
Aldus Marius wrote:What will feel most Roman to us while still being comprehensible to visitors and guests? ... ...what we've got in-place is working adequately; modern day and month notation, and the AUC year being whatever it would be for most of the year. It's not hard to figure out, and doesn't take too long to explain.
... simplicity vs authenticity in noster Societas. ... Simplicity has won hands-down every time. ... But there has also been an acknowledgement, [that] we have lost something. Call it flavor, call it authenticity....
I have used this [the Site's online calendar] in determining the best days for various undertakings ... ...in setting the dates for elections and censuses, I've encouraged the Curia to check the calendar or consult with Piscinus. ... I really like being able to experience moving through the Roman year. We could use a little more of that. And if establishing an official date for New Year or tying our major events to the Roman calendar will help, I'm all for it.
For ease of use, then, and for compatibility with what at least one other, large Roman group is doing, I'd go with the Kalends of Ianuarius. It has ancient precedent, and it's what people tend to assume unless they've been taught otherwise.
Valerius Claudius Iohanes wrote:Taking the lead from your thoughts, I would expect us:To run our official calendar (as we do) on a "Consular" year;
to align that year with the common-use Gregorian dates,
thereby keeping it simple and comprehensible,
but thento bring up major dates, major prohibitions, from the Ancient Calendar,
to remember that heritage, to learn it better (especially for "lite Romans" of my ilk), and
to add back some Ancient "flavor" to our workings.
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