On the Months (De mensibus)

Translated with introduction and annotations by Mischa Hooker. Dedicated to the origins and meaning of the days and months of the Roman calendar, John of Lydus' 'De mensibus' meanders through nearly all the intellectual fields of sixth-century Byzantium. Astrology, number-mysticism, and cosmogony, rooted in late-antique traditions of Neoplatonism and Pythagoreanism, intermingle with Roman scholarship of the late Republic and early Empire, frequently choked with antiquarian offshoots such as the origin of chariot-racing and the commonplace controversy over the source of the Nile. The whole may be far less than the sum of its parts, yet the 'De mensibus' is nonetheless a noteworthy document of intellectual history. By devoting so much labor to the untoward task of translating it and offering the result as a free download, Mischa Hooker has performed a singular act of scholarly generosity, made all the more notable with the release of a second edition. Even though a translation by Anastasius Bandy appeared posthumously in 2013, Hooker’s gift is all the more valuable not only because Bandy’s edition has its quirks and flaws, but because no translation can be definitive, at least not for long. Abbreviations iv Introduction v On the Months: Book 1 1 On the Months: Book 2 17 On the Months: Book 3 33 On the Months: Book 4 January 55 February 76 March 85 April 109 May 123 June 134 July 140 August 147 September 155 October 159 November 163 December 169 On the Months: Fragments of Uncertain Position 181 Fragments Falsely Attributed to 'De mensibus' 186 Appendix A: Comparable Accounts 189 Appendix B: Tabulation of Correspondences 219