Rome, including law (Horsfall 1994, 62, with reference to Delz 1966). The question is
rather to find what preliterary mechanism would faithfully preserve verifiably accurate
details of particular cross-cultural transmission for three hundred years: see Finley
1985, 16 – 17.
- The conclusions of chapter 2 will make this late appearance of Roman chrono-
graphical scholarship less surprising. - On Catullus and Nepos, see, most recently, Rauk 1996 – 97 and B. J. Gibson
- On Nepos’s Chronica,see Wiseman 1979, 157 – 58; Geiger 1985, 68 – 72; Horsfall
1989b, 117 – 18. - Aul. Gell. NA.17.21.8 = Peter, HRRel. F 4.
- Horsfall (1989a), xx n. 30, summarizing the important argument of Geiger
(1985), 70. - Aul. Gell. NA17.21.3 = Peter, HRRel. F 2 (Homer); Solin. 40.4 = Peter,
HRRel. F 6 (Alexander). - My thanks to Tony Woodman for alerting me to the significance of Velleius as
a key text for chronological inquiry; Woodman (1975, 286) makes a connection be-
tween Nepos and Velleius. There is an important discussion of Velleius’s construction
of past time in Gowing 2005, 41 – 43. - In general, Jacoby, FGrH239 – 61 (Zeittafeln), Komm., 664 – 65; Bickerman
1980, 70, 76 – 78. - Livy Per.47.
- Bickerman 1980, 70.
- A clear account of the issues in Bickerman 1980, 67 – 77. In De Die Natali21.6
Censorinus provides a good example of how counting from the foundation of Rome to
“now” will produce different results depending on whether you are counting
Olympiad years or from the Parilia or from 1 January: cf. Grafton and Swerdlow 1985, - Burgess (2002, 22 – 23) explains the makeshifts of Eusebius and Jerome in their
chronicles. Eusebius simply imposed the civic Macedonian calendar of his home city of
Caesarea, which began on 3 October, on all of the differing year counts, so that all the
regnal years and years of Abraham begin in 3 October; but Jerome made the start of
the Roman consular year, 1 January, the start of his year, “and for him all years of
Abraham, regnal years, and Olympiads began on 1 January”; cf. Burgess 1999, 28 – 29.
This may seem like a quaint foible from an alien world, but identical issues pertained
in Europe until 250 years ago. A recent British naval history of the period 1649 – 1815
notes the range of beginning dates for the year across Europe for much of the period,
together with the issues of the discrepancy between Julian and Gregorian years, and
declares: “All dates up to 1752 are Old Style unless otherwise indicated, but the year is
taken to begin on 1 January throughout” (Rodger 2004, xix). - For acts of Parliament, the date in the United Kingdom was expressed in reg-
nal years down till 1962: Holford-Strevens 2005, 114. If the c.e.dating system had not
notes to pages 21 – 23. 225