On This Day In Roman History, March 24
A day appears on the Roman calendar with the mark "QRFC" which denotes a meeting of the Comitia Calata on March 24. This group was a non-voting body known as a comitia. Their primary duties included inaugurating the rex, rex sacrorum, or the flamines, depending on the time period. The group met under the supervision of college of the pontiffs and pontifex maximus. The German classical scholar, Theodor Mommsen, noted that the QRFC that appeared was most likely denoting "Q. Rex C. F." or "Quando Rex Comitiavit Fas".
Did you know?
Another primary function of the group, specifically on March 24, was to listen and sanction the reading of wills. Another important function was presiding over the legal matter of a person passing from one gens to the other via adoption. The priests would perform a ceremony known as the detestatio sacrorum where the new family member was required to acknowledge all spiritual duties that they would now perform within the new family.
Pictured: The remains of the Fasti Praenestini which denoted the QRFC I spoke about earlier. March was the first month during the 10-month Legendary calendar, and thus had many Mars-centric holidays and practices associated within it. Other denotions including F for fastus, C for comitialis, N for nefastus, and EN for endotercissus.
Today's selected quote is from the mentioned author, Theodor Mommsen, in his book The History of Rome: "The distinction between ancient and modern history, therefore, is no mere accident, nor yet a mere matter of chronological convenience. What is called modern history is in reality the formation of a new cycle of culture, connected at several epochs of its development with the perishing or perished civilization of the mediterranean states, as that was connected with the primitive civilization of the Indo-Germanic stock, but destined, like that earlier cycle, to traverse an orbit of its own. It too is destined to experience in full measure the vicissitudes of national weal and woe, period of growth, of full vigour, and of age, the blessedness of creative effort, in religion, polity, and art, the comfort of enjoying the material and intellectual acquisitions it has won, perhaps also, some day, the decay of productive power in the satiety of contentment with the goal attained. But that goal too will only be temporary: the grandest system of civilization has its orbit, and may complete its course; but not so the human race, to which, even when it seems to have attained its goal, the old task is ever set anew with a wider range and with a deeper meaning."
There will be no opinion section today due to work me enjoying Friday off. See you Saturday!
Today's selected quote is from the mentioned author, Theodor Mommsen, in his book The History of Rome: "The distinction between ancient and modern history, therefore, is no mere accident, nor yet a mere matter of chronological convenience. What is called modern history is in reality the formation of a new cycle of culture, connected at several epochs of its development with the perishing or perished civilization of the mediterranean states, as that was connected with the primitive civilization of the Indo-Germanic stock, but destined, like that earlier cycle, to traverse an orbit of its own. It too is destined to experience in full measure the vicissitudes of national weal and woe, period of growth, of full vigour, and of age, the blessedness of creative effort, in religion, polity, and art, the comfort of enjoying the material and intellectual acquisitions it has won, perhaps also, some day, the decay of productive power in the satiety of contentment with the goal attained. But that goal too will only be temporary: the grandest system of civilization has its orbit, and may complete its course; but not so the human race, to which, even when it seems to have attained its goal, the old task is ever set anew with a wider range and with a deeper meaning."
There will be no opinion section today due to work me enjoying Friday off. See you Saturday!
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