Lehoux, What Are the Extant Pampegmala?

D) Other Parapegmata
D.i] The oldest known parapegma, the Ceramicus Parapegma, 90 is
represented by only a small fragment found in the Ceramicus district
of Athens, dated by Bruckner to the fifth century B.C. It simply has
the ordinal numbers 'fifth' through 'ninth' inscribed in Greek beside
holes into which pegs could be inserted:01
Oheutttti O
O &CTT1 O
o £(356jiri o
o] oySof) o
3 Avld[T]n [
Rehm's theory that this parapegma was meant to correlate civil lunar
dates inscribed on the pegs, with zodiacal dates (i.e., 'fifth [day of
Virgo...]') inscribed on the stone itself, is unlikely. 92 It appears much
more likely that a single peg was moved from hole to hole, rather than
the entire set of holes being occupied by a set of labeled pegs.
Since this fragment is so small, we cannot rule out the
possibility that the Ceramicus Parapegma was solely calendrical, or
even that it served some other function, completely different from any
known later parapegma.
90 Published by Bmcldier, 1931, p. 23-4, with photograph.
01 The column of holes after the numbers is difficult to make out In the photograph
published by Bruckner, but shows up clearly In the drawing published in IG 2 2
2782.
92 Rehm, 'Parapegma*. RE, col. 1301; see my arguments against multiple pegs in
chapter 2, above.
Lehoux, What Are the Extant Parapegmaln ? -62-
D. ii] The Guidizzolo FastP3 is a fragmentary stone parapegma
measuring 16.5 cm by 16 cm by 4 cm thick, dating from sometime
after 8 B.C. It is a unique parapegma insofar as it seems to be strictly
calendrical, with only dates and feasts listed. Holes are drilled beside
each entry, and the preserved fragment is as follows:
0 XIII 0 XIV] 0 (U]I IDMS KVUAS
0 XII 0 XIUI APOLLUNAR1A
0 XI 0 XIH 0 XKA VGIVSTIS
0 X] 0 XU NEPTVNIALIA
0 VU11 0 XI 0 ID IB VSAVIGVSTIS
0 VII 0 X DIANAfE)
a VI 0 vim 0 XKSEPTEMIBRES
0 V 0 VIII VOLKANALIA
oIIU 3 VII 3 III ID VS DECEM[BRES
oHI 0 VI SEPTIMONTMM
o PRflDIEl 0 V 0 XVIKIANVAROAS)
0 IUI SATVRNALIA
0 UI 0 XVKIAINJVAIRIAS
0 PRID(IE) EPON(A)E
The first two columns may well represent November and December, as
Degrassi supposed, assuming the fasti were written at the end of the
calendar section. It seems clear that this parapegma was meant to
keep track of the calendar year and its various fasti, such that a peg
would have been moved for each day of the calendar month. A
separate peg seems to have been used from time to time to mark the
particular fasti, but this kind of intermittent column (i.e., lacking
holes for the dies nefasti between the fasti) is unique, and I am not
sure what to make of it. There may have been a single hole marked
DIES NEFASTVS, so that a feast-marking peg was either there or in
one of the fixed (or moveable?] fasti on any given day. It is also 93
93 Degrassi, 1963, vol. Xm.2, p. 234-5.
Lehoux, What Are the Extant Parupegmata? -63-
possible (though less likely) that the peg was moved from the calendar
section over to the feast section for the feast days only, and then
moved back to mark normal days.
D. Hi) The Coligny Calendar is a long inscription (1.48 m by 90 cm
high) on bronze of five years of a lunar calendar, written in the Latin
script, but believed to be written in an ancient Celtic tongue. The
days of the month are each accompanied by a peg hole, and they are
written vertically, beginning with the name of the month, followed by
the numbers /-XV, then the word ATENOVXand then the numbers IXIUI
or /-XV, depending on the month. There are 7 months of 30 days
and five of 29 (for a total of 355), although it has been argued that
one of the 30-day months, Equos, occasionally had 28 days to keep
the year to an average of 354 days. Over the course of the five years,
there are two intercalary months, each of 30 days. The symbols (I,},
t, 11 letters (M, D, N) and words beside the dates are still largely
unexplained.94 95 A sample from the calendar96 should give the flavour:
94 First published In Comptes rendus des stances de VonnCe de i'cundemle des
Inscriptions et belles-lettres (1897), p. 703; PL I-VI; and (1898) p. 299 f.; See also
Rlcd, 1898; Ricci, 1900. The most complete and sober publication Is in Duval
and Pinault, 1986, Including excellent photographs and commentary. See also
McCluskey, 1998. More speculative reconstructions, such as those of Hitz, 1991
and Olmstead, 1992, have been attempted, but these are best approached with
caution. More recently. Gaspanl and Cemutl, 1997, have tried to put the
Coligny calendar into a broader astronomical context, but again, much of their
treatment Is speculative.
95 Not to say that attempts have not been made: For a summation of the issues, see
GInzel, 1914, v. m, p. 80 f.; Kubltschek, 1928; and especially Duval and Pinault,
1986, p. 421 f. Generally D and Nare thought to refer to day and night
respectively, but I do not see what this could mean In the context of the
calendar.
96 Rlcd, 1898, pi. H.7.
Lehoux, What Are the Extant Pampfajmaln? -64-
o xnn m d
oXV D
/VOS
IVOS
MEQVOSANM
O xnn h id ivo do be ant
DIVERTOMV
MSAMONmat
oI
on
om
o nn
OV
o VI
o vn
o vm
o van
oX
[O] XI
(o xjn
D
PRINILACIVOS
MI) SJMJIVOS
D IVOS
D AMB
M D SIMIVJSO
D ELEMBI
ELEMBI
ELEMBI
xm
xnn
XV
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
AMB
SEMIVIS
SEMIVJS
SEMICANO
0I
on i (..
o w ti i
o nn u
oV
o VIM
o vn
o vm
o van
O XM
o XI
O XUM
o xm ti
( ]AfA/V/VQS
1
[...] fvos
D ( ] VMIVO
AMB
D
PRINILOVDN
D
D
D
D
D
£>
DVM
ATENOUX
0/ MD SEMIVJS
on MD SEMIVIS
om DAMBSIMTV
onn D
OV D AMB
O VI \ 1 + 1 D slmiso
O jbbti+i D
0 XVI 1 +D
ATENOUX
01 D DVMAN
o n W) MD TRINVXSAMO
o m D AMB
o nn {i iD
O Vltl D AMB
O VI1 1) AID
Equos and Samoa are the names of the months, the column here
usually labeled D is sometimes elsewhere labeled N. Twenty-nine-day
months end with the word DIVERTOMV, as above MSAMONVqvq. All
month names are preceded by the letter Af as are AC7VOS and SAMON
here.
The abbreviations beside the month names, ANMand MAT
(sometimes MATV) seem (based on Celtic cognates) to mean 'ungood'
CANMATV-) and 'good' OMATV-, cognate with the Irish maith?]
respectively. Mbeside the dates may be an abbreviation for MATV. All
29-day months are ANMand all 30-day months are MATexcept the
month ofEQVOS which seems to have fluctuated between 30 days (in
Lehoux, What Are the Extant Pamp Agmasa? -65-
years I, ID and V) and 28 days (in years II and IV). 07 MacNeill argued
that /VOS referred to a feast of some kind, but Duval and Pinault
believe it to be uncertain. Parisot's theory that it refers to possible
solar eclipses is implausible, as is his idea that DIVERTOMVis an
extra day occasionally inserted to correct for the lateness of the
significant phase of the moon.08 IfDIVERTOMVwere a day occurring
after the 29th, then it should have a peg hole beside it, which it never
does.
The calendar represents the oldest known document in a Celtic
tongue, possibly dating from the second century A.D. 09 and as such
is of great importance, but its highly abbreviated character and lack
of parallels (apart from the tiny fragments of the Villards d'H6ria
calendar]97 * * 100
? make it difficult to interpret.
D.iv) The Ariminum Nundinal Parapegma101 is a puzzling
fragment bearing an inscription apparently pertaining to a nundinal
list, with peg holes preserved beside the inscription.
D.v) The Suessula Nundinal List102 is a small stone inscription,
lacking peg-holes, with a partial list of nundinal days written
97 See MacNeill, 1928, p. 27-30; Duval and Pinault, 1986, p. 411-415.
08 See Parlsot, 1985.
00 According to Duval and Pinault, 1986; MacNeill, 1928 dates it to the late first
century B.C. or early first century A.D.
100 Published In Duval and Pinault, 1986, p. 251, f. The Vlllanis dTferla calendar
seems not to be a parapegma. as near as can be determined from the few
remaining fragments. It does seem to be written In the same language, and to
use some of the same abbreviations as the Collgny calendar, however.
101 Degrassl. 1963. voLXmA, p.306.
102 See DArassi, 1963, voL Xrn.2, p. 303.
Lehovuc, What Are the Extant Pampegmata? 66
vertically: [T]IANESI[BVS] CAMPAN[IS] ATELLANJ[SJSVESSELAINIS]
NOLANIS CVMANUS] CAUNUSl
DM] The Alllfae Nundinal Lists103 consist of two fragments each
Listing eight different nundinal days vertically, with no peg-holes
preserved. A third fragment was lost sometime after 1750. Unlike
Degrassi, I see them as essentially three different lists. They read
Ifr. 1) (fr. 2)
JMALTINA TIIB USJ [BJENIEVENTANTISJ
INTERAMNAITIB US] NUCERIJNISJ
TELES1N1S [LJUCERINISAPVLIS
SAEP1NA TLB VS [SJVESSANIS
PVTEOLANIS [CAJLENIS
ATELLANIS [SVESJVLAN1S
CUMANIS [SINJVESANIS
NOLANIS [CALAJTINIS
The third fragment had only ALUFANIS, CEREAPIS.
103 Published In Degrassi, 1963, voi. XHL2, p. 302.
Lehoux, What Are the Extant Parapegmata? -67-
E) Reports ofParapegmata
E,i) Cicero, in a letter to Atticus104 announcing that tomorrow will
be the beginning of his year in office in Laodicea, says (following all
modem editions): Ex ea die, si me amas, Trapdiniyiia Aviauolov
commoveto. The next day he sends another letter105 saying Ex hoc die
clavum anni movebis. A number of problems have arisen in the
interpretation of these passages, which have not been completely
resolved.
The Loeb edition, translated by Winstedt,10