This Day in Ancient History: ante diem xvi kalendas januarias

ante diem xvi kalendas januarias

Saturnalia (day 1) — major, popular festival in honour of Saturn with banquets, the wearing of soft caps (pilei), and general good cheer. Shops and schools were closed, gambling was legally permitted, gifts were exchanged and masters might even wait on their servants. Obviously this festival is often seen as a precursor to our modern-day Christmas celebrations …
246 B.C.E. — the Torah is translated into Greek (obviously not in one day)

This Day in Ancient History: ante diem xvii kalendas januarias

ante diem xvii kalendas januarias

ante diem xviii kalendas januarias

Consualia — a festival in honour of Consus which likely involved a similar celebration to that held on August 21 (i.e. horse races, chariot races, and garlanding of the steeds)
337 B.C. — death of Timoleon (according to one reckoning)
19 B.C. — dedication of the Ara Fortunae Reducis
37 A.D. — birth of the future emperor Nero
130 A.D. — birth of the future co-emperor Lucius Verus

ante diem xix kalendas januarias

ante diem iii idus decembres

Agonalia — the fourth and final occurrence of this festival in the Roman calendar; like all instances, the Rex Sacrorum would sacrifice a ram in the Regia, but on this occasion, the sacrifice was apparently in honour of Sol Indiges.
Septimontium — a somewhat obscure festival apparently originally only celebrated by the ‘montani’ (i.e. the ‘hill-dwellers’) which involved sacrifices on each of Rome’s seven hills.
287 — martyrdom of Fuscian (and others)
302 — martyrdom of Pontian