The Roman year count.

[Pict]

I understand that the Roman year count started from the founding of Rome but that is the limit of my knowledge. Can anyone explain this in more detail for me? Did they count this as year one? If so what dates did they record for events like Cesar's assasination, the invasion of Britain, ascension of Augustus and other major events ?

I also wonder about dates when used in contracts and treaties with other nations. I would think that each 'satellite" nations to Rome would use the Roman system but what about other non client cultures. Was there any kind of standardization in the ancient world?

As always any assistance is appreciated.

Cheers,
Pict

[Epictetus]

Generally they named years by the ordinary consuls, so they didn’t number years like we do. In international contexts or in the Greek-speaking world they often named years according to the Olympiad. This is probably the closest thing to standardisation that they used.

So they would say that Caesar first invaded Britain in the consulship of Ahenobarbus and Pulcher or in the third year of the 181st Olympiad. (If I counted correctly – it’s a rather cumbersome system. :wink: )

In rare occasions they did count ad urbe condita, from the foundation of the city, but I don’t think this was a common method. This coin from Hadrian celebrating the 874th birthday of Rome, is one of the few instances I know of.

[Jona Lendering]

Perhaps this article is useful.

[Sean Manning]

Also, I think the count AUC ("ab urbe condita", "from the foundation of the city") was first used by scholars in the first century BCE (since there were only records for the past few centuries, they had to make scholarly guesses at when the city had been founded). So its not like the "Seleucid era" (counting from the first regnal year of Seleucus I in Babylon) which was used for the whole range of dates it numbers. Consul years (and X years before or after some major event) were probably the way most educated Romans thought about dates most of the time.

[D B Campbell]

So they would say that Caesar first invaded Britain in the consulship of Ahenobarbus and Pulcher or in the third year of the 181st Olympiad. (If I counted correctly – it’s a rather cumbersome system. :wink: )

You are right -- it is a cumbersome system. But Caesar's first invasion was in 55 BC (Caes., BGall. 4.23), when he tells us that "Gnaeus Pompeius and Marcus Crassus were consuls" (Caes., BGall. 4.1), thus demonstrating your method of consular dating, David. (I always remember this, because my local pub is called 55 BC.)