The spelling of the phrase "Roman calendar" is fairly straightforward. The word "Roman" is spelled with an initial /r/ sound, followed by the short /o/ sound and the long /a/ sound. The final syllable is pronounced with a schwa sound, which can be tricky for non-native English speakers to master. "Calendar" is also straightforward, with a hard /c/ sound followed by the short /a/ sound and the long /e/ sound, then closing with the /r/ sound. The pronunciation is /ˈrəʊmən ˈkæləndər/.
The Roman calendar is a system of measuring and organizing time used by the ancient Romans. Dating back to the early Roman kingdom, it served as the basis for the civil calendar throughout the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. The calendar was initially derived from the widely used Greek calendar, but the Romans made several modifications to adapt it to their specific needs.
The Roman calendar was a lunar-based system, initially divided into ten months, with the year beginning in March. This arrangement reflected the agricultural nature of early Roman society, as March coincided with the start of the spring season. However, as the Roman Empire expanded and its civilization developed, it became necessary to adjust the calendar to better match solar cycles.
Around 713 BC, two additional months – January and February – were added to the beginning of the calendar, resulting in a year consisting of twelve months. This change brought the calendar closer to the solar year but still didn't align perfectly. Consequently, in 45 BC, Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar, known as the Julian calendar, which provided a more accurate measure of the solar year by incorporating leap years.
Although the Roman calendar was eventually replaced by other calendar systems, the Julian calendar's influence endured for centuries and laid the foundation for the modern Gregorian calendar that is widely used today. The Roman calendar played a crucial role in the development of Western timekeeping and serves as a testament to the innovative nature of the ancient Romans.
The word "Roman" refers to the ancient civilization of Rome and its associated culture and language, Latin. The etymology of the word "calendar" can be traced back to the Latin word "calendarium", which was a register or account book used by Roman priests to announce the proper days for religious observances, legal transactions, and payment of debts. Over time, "calendarium" came to refer specifically to the list of days, months, and years used for keeping track of time in Rome. Thus, the term "Roman calendar" refers to the specific calendar system used in ancient Rome.