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Once again I apologize for not being able to find an answer to my question using the search feature. I find even being very specific I can't seem to raise any pertainent detail.
My questions are these. We in the west record the years as CE or BCE and previously (In the Christian world) BC or AD. How did the Romans number and record their years? In relation to a supposed date for the founding of Rome or some other major event? Did anything change when the Republic ended? Did they change to BC/AD with the advent of Christian Emperors?
Again thanks in advance for all information and sorry if we've covered this before. Please just point me in the appropriate direction (s).
Cheers,
Pict
Andrew son of Andrew of the family Michie, of the clan Forbes highlanders to a man from our noble forebears the blue painted Pict, scourge of the legions.
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The traditional Romnan form of dating is by Consulate. The year is named after the two consuls who held office in it e.g. "during the Consulate of C. Iulius Caesar and S. P. Nonentity". Since the consuls were elected annually, that was usually good enough for most purposes. The system continued into the Imperial times, all the way to when it appears the main point of (s)electing consuls was to have a name for the year. A number of other cities used the names of their own magistrates as a similar counting device for their own documents.
A number of other chronologies were available if they wanted to use them. Greek tradition often used the four-year 'Olympiads' - the how manieth Olympiad from the first Olympic games we were in, e.g. 'the third year of the 213th Olympiad". Many places in Asia Minor and Syria used the 'Sullan Era' counting years from the campaigns of Sulla in their area. The count 'from the founding of the city' was always possible, but considered a scholarly affectation, not a practical system. The Christian Romans eventually went over to dating events by the year after Creation, while the barbarian kingdoms largely used dating by the regnal years of kings. BC/AD dating does not show up until the early Middle Ages and does not become common until the rise of universities.
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Volker Bach
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So the AUC version that we tend toward these days (I think this is 2761) is a later convention? Or entirely imaginary?
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
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A good book on this topic is 'Caesar's Calendar: Ancient Time and the Beginnings of History'.
L. Cornelius Scaeva (Jim Miller)
Legio VI VPF
"[The Romans understood] it is not walls that protect men but men that protect walls" - Strabo
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It is difficult to say how early the AUC system was used. After all it was only Varro who traced the founding to 753 BC, hence what AUC numbers did they use before him?
Multi viri et feminae philosophiam antiquam conservant.
James S.