Roman Calendars. Imperial birthdays, victories and Triumphs

The revolutionary nature of Augustus’ politics manifested itself in numerous aspects of daily life. One of these, certainly, was the control of time: by introducing in the calendar numerous celebrations related to the Emperor and his family, Augustus reshaped the rhythm of Rome’s daily life. Among these new celebrations, a leading role was occupied by birthdays, military victories and triumphs. Through the analysis of the diachronic evolution of their record in the calendars, we will try to reconstruct their fame or oblivion. To verify that these festivals really assumed the role of public anniversaries, we will explore their reception by the various levels of Roman society, as emerges from different sources. Particular attention will be given to the unusual dates of some inscriptions’ dedications: were these the result of a deliberate or a random choice? Once more, the Roman calendars demonstrate their importance in the study of political history and their role as a mirror of society.