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Dans l´actuel calendrier, que l´on connait comme grégorien, fait par Grégoire XIII, ce jour de plus intercalé tous les trois ans, est le 29 fevrier.
Dans les temps des romains, la nuit se divisait en quatre parties égales, nommées veilles: vixilia prima, secunda vixilia, etc.
L’hora prima était l´heure de l´aube, ainsi, hora sexta coïncidait toujours avec l´heure du midi. Hora sexta était l´heure du repos des romains, d´où vient notre terme sieste.
Ce terme vient de l´expression feriae, dies ferialis, nom utilisé dans la Grèce ancienne pour faire référence au temps de loisirs pour la visite des temples et pour les sacrifices offerts aux dieux.
Bissextil est un adjectif qui vient du latin bis sextus dies ante kalendas martii “deux fois jour sixiéme avant le 1er mars”, qui faisait référence au fait d´ajouter deux jours de plus entre le 23 et le
25 fevrier dans le calandrier de Jules César.
La journée romaine se divisait en 12 heures de lumière et 12 heures d´obscurité, mais ces heures n´étaient pas pareils tout le temps. La référence était toujours la sortie du soleil, raison
pour laquelle ces périodes sont plus longues en hiver, qu´en été.
L´objectif d´une année bissextile c´est maintenir le calendrier annuel synchronisé avec l´année astronomique ou saissoniére.
Les services d´incendie de Rome, au caractère militaire, se nommaient vigiles, cohortes vigilium.
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Actividad de lectura
Xa antes daquela época atoparan os astrónomos que a duración do ano non coincidía cun número exacto de días solares. Supoñíaselle unha duración de 365 1/4 días. Para evitar que esta fracción de día puidese ocasionar no futuro anomalías ou inconvenientes, César ordenou que cada catro anos se engadise un día máis (outro día sexto antes das calendas de marzo, é dicir, entre o 23 e o 24 de febreiro, que se chamou bis-sexto).
F. BIOSCA, Astronomía, pág. 137.
Fasti Praenestini, calendar of Verrius Flaccus.
Le o texto e contesta as seguintes preguntas:
- Como explicarías a anomalía entre o calendario astronómico e o calendario regular?
- Déronse conta desta anomalía os antigos romanos?
- Que idearon para corrixir ese desfase entre a duración do ano e o número exacto de días solares?
- Cal é o nome do calendario ao que se alude no texto?
- Seguimos usando o mesmo calendario ao que se fai referencia no texto? Investiga se o calendario xuliano se utiliza aínda nalgún país?
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Actividad de lectura
Because the solar year is approximately a quarter day longer than the calendar year, a single intercalary day also was to be inserted every four years, when February 24 would be counted twice. This was a bissextile or leap year, since that date was the "twice sixth" day, bissextus, before the Kalends of March. (The notion of February 29 is a modern construct). When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, Quinctilis, the month in which he had been born, was renamed Julius (July) in his honor, although this change in the name of the month was ignored until made legal after the appearance of a comet four months later during games sponsored in July by Octavian, which, recounts Cassius Dio, was understood to be a sign of Caesar's apotheosis. Octavian is thought to have moved these games to late July to overshadow games sponsored by Brutus earlier that month. Hearing of their announcement, Cicero responded in a letter to Atticus, "Good heavens! 'Nones of July'! Confound their impudence!... Could anything be more unseemly than 'July' for Brutus?" Cicero also joked in a letter just four days after the new calendar had introduced that the constellation of Lyre was rising "by Caesar's decree".
Claudian, Carmina Minora (XX)
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/romancalendar.html
Perpetual Calendar (Julian) of 1690 from Graubünden/CH
(The Gregorian Calendar was first used in the eighth century)
- Which is the change introduced in modern times to date what Romans considered as "twice sixth" day?
- Which is the normal English expression to say bissextile?
- How was known the July month before Caesar´s death?
- Can you connect and explain the relation between Quinctilis month and the etymological origin of the name of September, October, November and December?
- Taking into account the use of ordinal numbers in the Roman calendar, could you say in which month started the Roman calendar?
- What ironic idea is hidden in the Cicero´s words?