This Day in Ancient History

ante diem vii kalendas martias

Terminalia — a festival in honour of Terminus, the divinity who presided over boundaries. In Rome itself, Terminus had a shrine within the Temple of Jupiter beneath an opening in the roof because, it is said, when they were building the Temple of Jupiter, Terminus refused to move. What happened in the city is unclear, but the rustic version of the festival involved the following: at boundary stones, farmer families would gather and build a turf altar; a fire would be built and one of the younger members of the family would throw grain in the fire three times. Others offered other things like honeycombs and wine, then a sheep or pig would be sacrificed and a feast would follow.

ante diem x kalendas martias

Parentalia (Day eight) — the festival for honouring/appeasing the dead continues

116 A.D. — Trajan is given the title “Parthicus” by the senate for his victories against the Parthians

ante diem xi kalendas martias

Parentalia (Day 7) — the period for honouring the dead continues

198 A.D. — death of emperor wannabe Clodius Albinus

1806 — death of Elizabeth Carter (Classicist who translated Epictetus)

idus februariae

Parentalia (day 1) — a festival for honouring/appeasing the dead began on this day with a number of signs: temples were closed, altars did not have fires burn on them, people were forbidden to get married, and magistrates set down the trappings of their office.

Fornacalia (day 1) — this was actually a “feriae conceptivae”, which means that it probably wasn’t always held on the same day. Originally, it was a feast of the curiae (an early division of the Roman people) which also seems to have involved a sort of banquet for the gods, although scholars are unsure which gods were specifically honoured. Then again, Ovid claims that rural folk would pray to a divinity called Fornax.

pridie idus februarias