Article in the Leicester Mercury leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester…

The medieval gatehouses were situated on the old Roman roads into the city and where the Roman town walls used to be.

In 196 BC, Ptolemy V aged 13 is crowned pharaoh of Egypt, in Memphis. A synod of priests passed the Decree of Memphis confirming the cult of the new king. Which was then inscribed in three different languages on the famous Rosetta Stone, later used to interpret hieroglyphs.

Stunning view

15th of March - The Ides of March (Martius) Feriae Iovi, sacred to Jove, and also the feast of the year for the goddess Anna Perenna deity of the circle or 'ring' of the year, as indicated by the name (per annum).

#FrescoFriday
A reconstructed #roman room in #Merida #Spain with frescoes of charioteers and hunting scenes

1st of March (Martius) In the old Roman calendar, until perhaps as late as 153 BC, the month of Martius ('Mars' Month') was the first month of the year. It is named for the god of War and Agriculture, Mars, whose festivals and celebrations dominate the month.

Julius Caesar in 45 BC (709 AUC) set a Leap Year’s, Leap Day on the 24th of February, also known as the Feast of St Matthias, occurring twice #groundhogday those years. It wasn’t until the Gregorian Calendar 1582 AD, that the 29th of February became the extra day in a leap year.

Latest update on Jewry Wall Museum - A Real Roman Experience leicestermuseums.org/news/february-…

Excellent Talk about the groundbreaking archaeology (pun intended) undertaken by Kathleen Kenyon at Jewry Wall, Leicester’s Guildhall

The Old New Year, or the Orthodox New Year, is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar. Happy New Year!

January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways and passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces one looking to the future and one to the past.

Check out last night's episode of Digging For Britain where @thealiceroberts visits the excavations at @leicscathedral to discover more about Roman Leicester!

ow.ly/yiUw50QnHSL

#visitleicester #leicester #romans #history #bbc @BBC2
📷courtesy of University of Leicester

Roman finds from the semi-subterraneous shrine at the Leicester cathedral in Digging for Britain

Tonight! BBC2 8pm...😊

Novus Annus ~ Happy New Year - The word Calendar is taken from kalendae, the term for the first day of the month in the Roman calendar, which is related to the verb calare 'to call out', referring to the 'calling' of the new moon when it was first seen.

In 709 AUC (Ab urbe condita (Latin: from the founding of the City'), abbreviated as AUC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome.) On this day in what we now call 45 B.C. the Julian Calendar took effect for the first time.

1 January 45 BC. The Julian Calendar, which made 1 January New Year’s Day, was introduced in the Roman Empire. It was replaced by the Gregorian calendar, promulgated in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, which was only introduced in Britain in 1752.

On this day in 45 B.C. the Julian Calendar took effect for the first time.

Happy Saturnalia to all our past and future visitors, we especially want to wish the Project and Contractor Teams, & our fabulous Friends of Jewry Wall a very Happy Christmas. leicestermuseums.org/jewry-wall/

Image: A Roman Feast (Saturnalia) By R Bompiani (1821-1908) Paul Getty Museum