Februarius

When Romes founder established the calendarHe determined thered be ten months in every year.You knew more about swords than stars, Romulus, surely,Since conquering neighbours was your chief concern.Yet theres a logic that might have possessed him,Caesar, and that might well justify his error.He held that the time it takes for a mothers wombTo produce a child, was sufficient for his year.Ovid Fasti Book 1, A. S. Kline translation The early Roman calendar had only 10 months, with December (Latin decem10) the last month of the year and March the first. The month we call July, the fifth month, was number-named Quintilis (Latin quin-5) until it was renamed Julius or Iulius for Julius Caesar. In The Pre-Caesarian Calendar: Facts and Reasonable Guesses, The Classical Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Nov. 1944), pp. 65-76, 20th-century Classical scholar H.J. Rose explains the 10-month calendar: The earliest Romans of whom we have any knowledge did as many other peoples have done. They counted the moons during the interesting part of the year, when farmwork and fighting were going on, and then waited till the dull times of winter were over and the spring was fairly set in (as it is by March in those latitudes of Europe) to begin counting again. Februarius (February) was not part of the original (pre-Julian, Romulean) calendar, but was added (with a variable number of days), as the month preceding the beginning of the year. Sometimes there was an additional intercalary month. [See Intercalation. Also see: The Origin of the Pre-Julian Calendar, by Joseph Dwight; The Classical Journal, Vol. 41, No. 6 (Mar. 1946), pp. 273-275.] Februarius was a month for purification, as the Lupercalia festival suggests. Originally, Februarius may have had 23 days. In time, the calendar was standardized so that all 12 months had 29 or 31 days, except for Februarius which had 28. Later, Julius Caesar re-standardized the calendar to line up with the seasons. See Julian Calendar Reform. Source [URL web.archive.org/web/20071011150909/http://www.12x30.net/earlyrom.html] Bill Hollons Roman Calendar Page. Plutarch on the Calendar Here is a passage Plutarchs life of Numa Pompilius on the Roman calendar. Sections about the Roman month Februarius (February) are highlighted. He attempted, also, the formation of a calendar, not with absolute exactness, yet not without some scientific knowledge. During the reign of Romulus, they had let their months run on without any certain or equal term; some of them contained twenty days, others thirty-five, others more; they had no sort of knowledge of the inequality in the motions of the sun and moon; they only kept to the one rule that the whole course of the year contained three hundred and sixty days. Numa, calculating the difference between the lunar and the solar year at eleven days, for that the moon completed her anniversary course in three hundred and fifty-four days, and the sun in three hundred and sixty- five, to remedy this incongruity doubled the eleven days, and every other year added an intercalary month, to follow February, consisting of twenty-two days, and called by the Romans the month Mercedinus. This amendment, however, itself, in course of time, came to need other amendments. He also altered the order of the months; for March, which was reckoned the first, he put into the third place; and January, which was the eleventh, he made the first; and February, which was the twelfth and last, the second. Many will have it, that it was Numa, also, who added the two months of January and February; for in the beginning they had had a year of ten months; as there are barbarians who count only three; the Arcadians, in Greece, had but four; the Acarnanians, six. The Egyptian year at first, they say, was of one month; afterwards, of four; and so, though they live in the newest of all countries, they have the credit of being a more ancient nation than any; and reckon, in their genealogies, a prodigious number of years, counting months, that is, as years. That the Romans, at first, comprehended the whole year within ten, and not twelve months, plainly appears by the name of the last, December, meaning the tenth month; and that March was the first is likewise evident, for the fifth month af ter it was called Quintilis, and the sixth Sextilis, and so the rest; whereas, if January and February had, in this account, preceded March, Quintilis would have been fifth in name and seventh in reckoning. It was also natural, that March, dedicated to Mars, should be Romuluss first, and April, named from Venus, or Aphrodite, his second month; in it they sacrifice to Venus, and the women bathe on the calends, or first day of it, with myrtle garlands on their heads. But others, because of its being p and not ph, will not allow of the derivation of this word from Aphrodite, but say it is called April from aperio, Latin for to open, because that this month is high spring, and opens and discloses the buds and flowers. The next is called May, from Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom it is sacred; then June follows, so called from Juno; some, however, derive them from the two ages, old and young, majores being their name for older, and juniores for younger men. To the other months they g ave denominations according to their order; so the fifth was called Quintilis, Sextilis the sixth, and the rest, September, October, November, and December. Afterwards Quintilis received the name of Julius, from Caesar who defeated Pompey; as also Sextilis that of Augustus, from the second Caesar, who had that title. Domitian, also, in imitation, gave the two other following months his own names, of Germanicus and Domitianus; but, on his being slain, they recovered their ancient denominations of September and October. The two last are the only ones that have kept their names throughout without any alteration. Of the months which were added or transposed in their order by Numa, February comes from februa; and is as much as Purification month; in it they make offerings to the dead, and celebrate the Lupercalia, which, in most points, resembles a purification. January was so called from Janus, and precedence given to it by Numa before March, which was dedicated to the god Mars; because , as I conceive, he wished to take every opportunity of intimating that the arts and studies of peace are to be preferred before those of war. Suggested Reading Why Rome FellNorse Story of CreationNaqsh-i-Rustam: The Tomb of Darius the Great

Haiti Hope for a Better Life Essay - 1730 Words

Haiti is located in the Western Hemisphere below the equator. The country of Haiti is the western half of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea. East of Haiti, sharing the same island, is the Dominican Republic. Haiti’s capital is Port-au-Prince. While Haiti is not a large country, its population is just over ten million people. The people of Haiti speak French and Haitian Creole, a form of French. Natural disasters have harmed the environment and the people in Haiti in recent years. Haiti has survived a lot of trauma, especially along the costal regions. The country has a long journey of recovery ahead while Haiti works through the ramifications of deforestation, earthquakes, and poor water systems. Haiti is the poorest country in†¦show more content†¦Yasmine Shamsie, the author of â€Å"Haiti’s Post-Earthquake Transformation: What of Agriculture and Rural Development?† writes: The†¦global food crisis, in 2008, caused Haiti’s food prices to spiral up, leading to severe hardship and political unrest. Agriculture and food security suddenly became central concerns. This was followed†¦by the 2010 earthquake, which devastated the country’s capital, producing a more powerful incentive to generate economic opportunities outside the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. (p. 134) Any government would find addressing a global food crisis in order to feed their people difficult. An earthquake is an event which challenges government leaders in any country. Any one of these events would be hard enough to handle by itself, but the people had an even harder time recovering because these events happened within two years of each other. The country did not have time to recover from the food crisis before dealing with the earthquake fallout. Natural resources or industries were needed to improve their situation. There was, and is, a great need to enhance economic opportunities for the people of Haiti. Creating products to export would ameliorate Haitian economy. Some products they currently export are coffee, vanilla, machetes, and souvenirs. Vendors in souvenir shops sell paintings on rocks, cigarettes, wall paintings, and clothing. The government regulates the exports which bring money into the country.Show MoreRelatedHaiti s Recovery After The Earthquake857 Words   |  4 Pages Haiti’s Recovery After The Earthquake Five years after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Haiti is rebuilding gradually. Haiti, being one of the poorest countries, was always in need of improvement but the 2010 earthquake added to their concerns. 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The small country was once known to be the wealthiest country in the West Indies. Dominated by its European oppressor, France, Haiti thrived in production during the slaving era. Haiti became globallyRead MoreEssay about Feed The Children710 Words   |  3 PagesCan you imagine getting attacked in your sleep by rats? Many child slaves in Haiti awake to such horrific conditions. Haitian children are often sent to live with wealthier or less poor relatives in return for food, shelter, education, and a better life in return for tasks performed. But many are forced into domestic slavery or restavek. Restavek is a common practice of Haitian society. Some as young as three are beaten, forced to do anythi ng asked, request nothing, speak only when spoken toRead MoreThe Struggle of the People of Haiti in Edwidge Danticats Novel Krik? Krak!1204 Words   |  5 PagesEdwidge Danticats novel Krik? Krak! reflects the struggling people of Haiti from the 1960’s to the 1990’s. 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How might ‘Naturlism’ be defined within theatrical context Free Essays

How might ‘Naturalism’ be defined within theatrical contexts? Movement in theatre developed late 19th century, presenting ordinary life as accurately as possible, influenced by novelists and playwrights such as Ibsen and Emile Zola. The idea of naturalistic plays was to portray harsh and gritty subject matters, which would emphasize the wrongs in contemporary life which would often be frowned upon and alienate 19th-century audiences. However, by seeing the wrongs in society there is a believe that people will try and better themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on How might ‘Naturlism’ be defined within theatrical context or any similar topic only for you Order Now Naturalism existed only in it’s historical moments Theatre imitating life. Naturalism brought science into the game, with more electricity in theatres, removal of audience, putting them in the dark as if they were eavesdropping. Importance of everyday and ordinary. Potential tool for improving humanity by showing the wrongs. Brought in the fourth wall, analytical distance. extending the idea to the imaginary boundary between the audience and the stage. Character is more important than plot/action. The model of theatre as scientific ideas and the idea that human beings are distinguished by society, like showing the ubject as a product of social forces. Playing around with that idea, like Emile Zola did in his play â€Å"Miss Julie† dropping a high class girl into a test tube with a servant (lower class) of particular type/ character and see what happens. Playwrights tried to get as far away from the theatrical side of plays, by using techniques such as making real time and fictional time the same. It would always be very accurately documented, especially social detail. Lineage or Heredity always played a big part and were controlled by the environments which would explain the ehavior and status of the characters. Naturalism showed a slice of life as it really is, without putting up a show for the audience you see a gritty unpleasant side of life which pays very close attention to detail and behavior, often including battle of sexes, Heredity or Lineage and lots of psychological detail about why the characters are doing what they are doing taking their past and course through life to this point in time into consideration. Which leaves the audience to study the characters outside of what they see in front of them. Reveals the private side of life. Naturalism played a great role in later theatre evolving to Hypernaturalism and symbolism. Theatre of Naturalism will open up new perspectives for anyone interested in theory or theatre, whether scholars or the wider theatre-loving or performing public. Naturalism is a torm ot Realism, but was a more scientific approach than realism which is interested in cause and effect – both inherited and environmental Human psychology Has true view of the outside world but only focuses on what’s going on the inside even though characters come and go How to cite How might ‘Naturlism’ be defined within theatrical context, Papers