It seems that Numa’s plan was only, to prevent the indiscriminate convocation of the tribes and the curiae, to establish new laws or to make new magistrates: but through a practice continually observed from the time of this prince until the emperor Augustus, i.e. The latter were called dies fasti and the former dies nefasti, otherwise called allowed days and prohibited days. After gaining power, which he won by the greatness of his worthiness and the fiction of his exchange with the gods, he made several regulations, for religion as well as politics, but he particularly set up the year with twelve months according to the course and phases of the moon and as for the days that made up each month, he intended some for business, and others for rest. The days were all the same to them, and their year, composed of ten months according to some, twelve according to others, far from having any marked difference for the days, did not even have a distinction for the seasons since, sooner or later, the hot weather would sometimes happen in the middle of March and the freezing weather would happen in the middle of June: in short, Romulus was better informed about the trade of warfare than the science of the stars.Įverything changed under Numa: this prince drew up a regular order to things. īut, whatever their etymology and whatever meaning they have, fasti were not all known by the Romans under Romulus. In one place, Varron derives the name of fasti from fari, to speak, quia jus fari licebat and, in another place, he has it from fas, a term which strictly means divine law, which only means human law.

the days intended for business and the days intended for rest. Originally published as 'Fastes,' Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, 6:419–420 (Paris, 1756).įasti, the Roman calendar where a day marked their holidays, games, ceremonies and everything under the general rubric fasti and nefasti, allowed and prohibited, i.e. Ann Arbor: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2017. 'Fasti.' The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. of 'Fastes,' Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, vol.

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The fasti