Featured GORDIAN'S DAY (July 29th)

Maybe what I meant was not clear; always the same brain problem translating from French to English. The historian Eutropius informs us that Gordy III opened the doors in 241. He wrote : " After Gordian, when quite a boy, had married Tranquillina at Rome, he opened the temple of Janus, and, setting out for the Parthians, who were then proceeding to make an irruption." (Eutropius Short History 9.2).
We are forced to accept that the gates had been closed for almost 170 years. If the doors had been open all the time and a second-century emperor had closed them, he would have minted coins, and archaeologists would have found these. But in my knowledge they have not been discovered, and this forces us to accept that the gates were closed, even though emperors like Trajan, Marcus Aurelius and Septimius Severus were well-known warriors. But this is only my opinion for what it's worth !

 

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Fun thread, nice write up and excellent OP coin!

 

Perhaps my favorite imperial issue of Gordian III:


Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman Æ sestertius, 24.30 gm, 28.7 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 240.
Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: LIBERTAS AVG SC, Libertas standing left, holding pileus and scepter.
Refs: RIC 318a; Cohen 153; RCV 8717; Hunter 147.

 

Does that date account for the 13-day difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars? If not, shouldn't the date be August 11?

 

The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th. The position of the kalends, nones, and ides were not changed in either of the two reforms of 46 BC and 8 BC. III Non. Ian. is to be read “three before the nones of January” which, considering the Roman inclusive count, falls on January 3. V Kal. Iun. is “five before the kalends of June,” or May 28. The day before one of the three reference days is labeled “pridie.” Prid. Kal. Ian. is always the last day of December.
Fortunately, each time the calendar was reformed, the positions in the month of annual events and anniversaries remained unchanged. For example, the Saturnalia always began on December 17th, even though the rep resentation for that day changed from XIIII Kal. Ian. to XV Kal. Ian. to XVI Kal. Ian.

 

Gordian III. 238-244 AD. Æ Sestertius. (31mm; 20.36 gm; 11h). Rome mint, 3rd-6th officinas. Special emission, 239 AD. Obv: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev: VOTIS/DECENNA/LIBVS/S C in four lines within laurel wreath. RIC IV 263a; Banti 132. One of the rarest of Gordian’s sestertii.

 

Just purchased this Gordian sestertius last night from Herakles. Waiting to see it.

 

I'm asking about calendar changes to the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century AD or later. I don't think it's possible for any date in any Roman calendar, even if based on positions in the month, to have remained the same until today, when both the beginning and end of any month of any month in any year in ancient Rome have changed significantly between then and now. The 1,782nd anniversary of July 29, 238 AD is not July 29, 2020. (I actually went in the wrong direction in my previous post, since the 13-day difference is forward. So the actual anniversary should be around July 16, I believe.)

 

Gordian III Av Aureus 240 A.D. Rv Emperor standing left togate sacrificing over altar. RIC 22 4.97 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen