The public Roman calendars were the fasti, which designated the religious and legal character of each months days. The Romans marked each day of such calendars with the letters: F (fastus, permissible) on days when it was legal to initiate action in the courts of civil law (dies fasti, allowed days)

What did the Romans use for a calendar?

Based on Ancient Lunar Calendars It is believed that the original Roman calendar was a lunar calendar that followed the phases of the Moon. This basic structure was preserved through the centuries, which is the reason why we use months today.

When was the Roman calendar first used?

about 738 bc According to legend, Romulus, the founder of Rome, instituted the calendar in about 738 bc. This dating system, however, was probably a product of evolution from the Greek lunar calendar, which in turn was derived from the Babylonian.

Why was the Julian calendar important to the Romans?

The Julian calendar is important to historians because it was used worldwide for over 16 centuries, and in various parts of the world for another three centuries after that. This paper will present the Julian calendar by first giving a historic perspective of the Roman calendars from which it was derived.

How did Romans use the Julian calendar?

The Julian calendars predecessor, the Roman calendar, was a very complicated lunar calendar, based on the moon phases. It required a group of people to decide when days should be added or removed in order to keep the calendar in sync with the astronomical seasons, marked by equinoxes and solstices.