• Lemuria (day 2) — a private and public appeasement of the dead; the Roman paterfamilias would rise at midnight to conduct a ritual involving beans and bronze
• rites in honour of Mania – a Roman divinity who was considered the goddess of the dead; she was also the mother of the Lares
• 14 A.D. — Augustus’ last official census comes to an end
• 330 — Constantine renames Byzantium and makes it his capital
• 1988 — death of E.T. Salmon (Samnium and the Samnites)

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ante diem vi idus maias

• 214 (?) A.D. — birth of the future emperor Claudius II Gothicus
• 232 A.D. — martyrdom of Felix and Palmatius
• 238 A.D. — murder of Maximinus Thrax (by one reckoning)
• 250 A.D. — martyrdom of Epimachus at Alexandria
• 251 A.D. — martyrdom of Alphius, Philadelphus, Cyrinus, and Benedicta at Leontini (?)

• ca 300 A.D. — martyrdom of Jovinian

• 11 B.C. — dedication of the Theatre of Marcellus
• ca. 304 A.D. — martyrdom of Florian in what would become Austria
• ca. 304 A.D. — martydom of Pelagia at Tarsus
• 1406 — death of Coluccio Salutati (humanist and proto-Classicist)

• ludi Florae (possible day 7) — 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
• c. 62 A.D. — martyrdom of James the Lesser in Jerusalem
• c. 80 A.D. — martyrdom of Philip the Apostle in Heirapolis, Phrygia
• 115 or 116 A.D. — martyrdom of Pope Alexander I in Rome
• c. 286 — martyrdom of Maura at Thebias
• 1810 — Byron swims from Sestos to Abydos, imitating Leander’s visits to Hero

• ludi Florae (day 6)

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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)

• Parilia (a.k.a. Palilia) — originally a festival in honour of Pales (who protected shepherds and their flock), it eventually evolved — in the city of Rome, at least — into a ‘birthday of Rome’ celebration
• 753 B.C. — traditional date for the foundation of Rome
• 43 B.C. — pro-Caesarian forces “under” Octavian defeat the forces of Marcus Antonius at Mutina
• 47 A.D. — Claudius celebrates the ludi Saeculares (?)
• 148 A.D. — Antoninus Pius celebrates the 900th anniversary of Rome
• 248 A.D. — Philip Arabus celebrates the 1000th anniversary of Rome

Happy ‘Hug a Classicist Day’!!!

• 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”)

• ludi Cereri continue (day 2)– games in honour of the grain goddes Ceres, instituted by/before 202 B.C.
• rites in honour of Jupiter Victor and Jupiter Liber
• 150 A.D. — martyrdom of Carpus and companions at Pergamon
• 303 A.D. — martyrdom of Maximus and companions at Silistria

• ludi Megalensia continue (day 5)
• 217 A.D. — murder of the emperor M. Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla)
• 1898 — Birth of Maurice Bowra (The Greek Experience)
• 1979 — death of E.R. Dodds (The Greeks and the Irrational)

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ante diem vii idus apriles

• ludi Megalesia (day 4)
• 30 A.D. — crucifixion of Jesus (one reckoning according to the astronomical estimates)
• 303 A.D. — martyrdom of Calliopus at Pompeiopolis
• 310 A.D. — martyrdom of Peleusius at Alexandria

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pridie nonas apriles

• ludi Megalesia (day 1 … associated with the next item, obviously)
• 204 B.C. — the image and cult of the Mater Magna (a.k.a. Cybele) is brought to Rome during the conflict with Hannibal on the advice of the Sybilline books
• 37 A.D. — the ashes of Tiberius are placed in the Mausoleum of Augustus
• 186 (or 188) A.D. — birth of the future emperor Septimius Bassianus (later known as M. Aurelius Antoninus Caesar; better known as Caracalla)

• rites in honour of Luna at her temple on the Aventine
• c. 130 A.D. — martyrdom of Balbina
• 250 (?) A.D. — birth of the future emperor Constantius I Chlorus
• 307 A.D. — Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of Maximian
• 1596 — birth of Rene Descartes (author, of course, of that bit of Latin which a pile of folks know)

• 317 B.C. — death of Phocion (?)
• 117 A.D. — martyrdom of Quirinus at Rome

• 37 A.D. — arrival of Gaius (Caligula) in Rome
• 193 A.D. — murder of the emperor Pertinax; recognition of Didius Julianus as Augustus
• 364 A.D. — elevation of Valens to the rank of Augustus
• … in the early Church, this was one of the days claimed as the day of Jesus’ birth …

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ante diem viii kalendas apriles

• c. 30 A.D. — crucifixion of Dismas “the Good Thief” at Jerusalem
• 101 A.D. — Trajan departs for his first war against the Dacians
• 235 A.D. — The emperor Maximinus Thrax is coopted into all the priestly colleges
• c. 269 A.D. — martyrdom of Cyrinus

• Festival of Mars (day 24)
• Quando Rex Comitavit Fas — a somewhat obscure entry in the Roman calendar which seems to hearken back to the days of the monarchy. A plausible explanation connects this with the fact that this was one of the days when the ancient Comitia Calata would ‘witness’ wills, and so other legal matters could not take place until the king had dismissed the comitia.
• Happy blogday to Jim Davila’s Paleojudaica …

• Festival of Mars continues (day 21)
• Quinquatrus continues (day 3) — originally a one-day festival with rites in honour of Minerva, by Ovid’s day it had been increased to five days, with the last four involving gladiatorial bouts
• 1766 — death of Richard Dawes (Classical scholar)

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pridie idus martias

• Festival of Mars (day 14)
• Equirria — the second of two days of horse racing (the first was on February 27) dedicated to Mars; the reasons are obscure, but probably have something to do with preparing horses for the upcoming campaigning season
• 222 A.D. — Severus Alexander is given the title Augustus