This Day in Ancient History: pridie nonas martias

pridie nonas martias

This Day in Ancient History: ante diem iii nonas martias

ante diem iii nonas martias

Festival of Mars (day 5)
399 B.C. — death of Socrates (according to one reckoning)
13 B.C. — death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (the triumvir) (according to one reckoning)
51 A.D. — the future emperor Nero is coopted into all the priestly colleges

ante diem iv kalendas martias

kalendae martiae

This was originally the beginning of the New Year for the ancient Romans (and the consuls would probably enter office on this date prior to 153 B.C.)
Festival of Mars, which included a procession of the Salian priests around the city singing their mysterious Carmen Saliare
“birthday” of the temple of Juno Lucina
Matronalia — a sort of ‘unofficial’ festival during which it was customary for hubbies to pray for the ongoing health of their spouses and give them presents; for their part, the wives apparently served the slaves (sort of like Saturnalia and Mother’s Day rolled into one)
293 A.D. — Co-emperor Maximian adopts Constantius, who is given the title Caesar (and it is possible that Diocletian similarly adopted and conferred a similar title upon Galerius)
2005 — birth of our dog, named by the rogueclassicist as Tyche, but misheard by the liberi as Tyke …

pridie kalendas martias

Amburbium — a ‘moveable feast’ which may or may not have actually been held on this day, but does seem to have happened near the end of February. A sacrificial procession was led around the boundaries of the city as a rite of purification.
116 A.D. — supplicatio pro salute Traiani (day 3)
1631 — birth of Henry Stubbe (Greek and Latin scholar and author of a work which is rather timely today, it seems).