WEEKS, DAYS and NUNDICAL CYCLE

The Romans of the Republic, like the Etruscans, used a "market week" of eight days, marked as A to H in
the calendar. A nundinum was the market day; etymologically, the word is related to novem, "nine",
because the Roman system of counting was inclusive. The market "week" is the nundinal cycle.

The nundinal cycle formed one rhythm of day-to-day Roman life; the market day was the day when
country people would come to the city, and the day when city people would buy their eight days' worth of
groceries. For this reason, a law was passed in 287 BC (the Lex Hortensia) that forbade the holding of
meetings of the comitia (for example to hold elections) on market days, but permitted the holding of legal
actions.

The nundinal cycle was eventually replaced by the modern seven-day week, which first came into use in
Italy during the early imperial period, after the Julian calendar had come into effect in 45 BC. The system of
nundinal letters was also adapted for the week. (See dominical letter.) For a while, the week and the
nundinal cycle coexisted, but by the time the week was officially adopted by Constantine in AD 321, the
nundinal cycle had fallen out of use.

The days were named after the planets of Hellenistic astrology. Can you fill in the ‘origin’ column with the
following keys?

Moon, Mars (Ares), Jupiter (Zeus) Saturn (Cronos), Sun, Mercury (Hermes), Venus (Aphrodite)

LATIN origin English Spanish Italian French Welsh

Dies Lunae Monday Lunes Lunedì lundì dydd Llun
Dies Martis Tuesday Martes Martedì mardì dydd
Mawrth
Dies Mercuri Wednesday Miércoles Mercoledì mercredì dydd
Mercher
Dies Jovis Thursday Juvenes Giovedì jeudì dydd Iau
Dies Veneris Friday Viernes Venerdì vendredì dydd
Gwener
Dies Saturni Saturday Sábado Sabato samedì dydd Sadwrn
Dies Solis Sunday domingo Domenica dimanche dydd Sul
Each day of the Roman calendar was marked on the fasti (plans of official and religiously sanctioned
events) with a letter that designated its religious and legal character. These were:

 F (fasti), favourable;
 N (nefasti), unfavourable;
 C (comitiales), days for assemblies;
 NP of elusive meaning, but marking feriae, public holidays;
 EN (endotercissus, an archaic form of intercissus, "cut in half"), for days that were nefasti in the
morning, when sacrifices were being prepared, as well as in the evening, while sacrifices were being
offered, but were fasti in the middle of the day.

Fasti of the period between 20-23 a.C: the first

letter indicates the nundinal day, the second
refers to the type of day and the third shows the
celebrations, festivities and games.

Public activities could take place on ‘dies fasti’ and ‘dies comitiales’ and also in the mid part of the dies
endotercissi, but could not take place on the dies nefasti nor the beginning and end of the dies
endotercissi.