ante diem v kalendas maias

• ludi Florales … a.k.a. Floralia (day 1) — a festival originally ordered in response to an interpretation of the Sybilline books in 238 B.C., it fell into desuetude only to be revived in 173 B.C.; it was a general festival of drinking and other merriment in honour of Flora, who presided over (of course) flowers and their blossoms (Chloris is also mentioned … I’m still trying to figure that one out).

• 4977 B.C. — birth of the universe, according to the calculations of Johannes Kepler

• 1737 — Birth of Edward Gibbon (he wrote some sort of book apparently)

ante diem ix kalendas maias

• Vinalia (urbana) — the wine which was ‘bottled’ in the previous autumn was opened and tasted for the first time, after a libation to Jupiter

• 248 A.D. — third day of celebration of Rome’s 1000th anniversary

ante diem x kalendas maias

• 178 A.D. — martyrdom of Epipodias at Lyons

• 202 A.D. — martyrdom of Leonidas in Alexandria

• 248 A.D. — second day of celebrations for Rome’s 1000th anniversary

• ca 250 A.D. — martyrdom of Helimenas at Babylon

ante diem xii kalendas maias

• ca 117 — martyrdom of Servilian and Sulpicius

ante diem xviii kalendas maias

• ludi Cereri continue (day 3) — games in honour of the grain goddess Ceres, instituted by/before 202 B.C.

• 69 A.D. — first battle at Bedriacum; the forces of emperor wannabe Vitellius eventually would defeat the forces of emperor wannabe Otho

• 73 A.D. — mass suicide at Masada (?)

• 195 A.D. — Julia Domna, wife of the emperor Septimius Severus, is given the title mater castrorum (“mother of the camp”)