The suffect consul C. Valerius Laevinius, elected on a.d. III Non. Sex. of this year (Livy 41.17.5), left Rome 2 days after his election to campaign against the Ligurians, against whom war was already under way. N. Prack, Der römische Kalendar (264-168 v. Chr.) 163, notes that the campaign season began in March. Assuming 7 intercalations, Valerius left Rome on Non. Sex. A.U.C. 578 = c. 24 April 176. Assuming only 6, it was Non. Sex. A.U.C. 578 = c. 1st April 176, which hardly gives sufficient time for the Ligurians to declare war and for the news to reach Rome. Hence there were most likely 7 or more intercalations between A.U.C. 564 = 190 and A.U.C 578 = 176.
There is another set of constraints. Livy 41.17.5 records that an abnormal electoral concilium was held to elect a suffect consul on a.d. III Non. Sex. of this year, a C day. Additionally, an intercalation of unknown length occurred at the end of A.U.C. 577 = 177. The following table shows the nundinal letter of the market day in this month for all possible combinations of 22 day intercalations (vertically) and 23 day intercalations (horizontally) between A.U.C. 564 = 190 and A.U.C 578 = 176, subject to the following conditions:
The letter of the market day in Martius A.U.C. 564 = 190 was F.
- There were at least 5 and at most 10 intercalations in this period.
- There were at most 3 intercalations of 22 days.
- There was at least 1 and at most 8 intercalation of 23 days.
- The letter of the market day in Martius A.U.C. 578 = 176 was not C.
To which we can add certain other, slightly less certain, constraints:
As noted above Livy 41.17.5 implies that there were 7 or more intercalations between A.U.C. 564 = 190 and A.U.C 578 = 176.
- Under the proposed Lex Acilia there was one pair of consecutive intercalary years after this year, hence one intercalation of 22 days after this year and two before this year.
Options violating these secondary constraints are marked in bolded orange.
|
378-day years 190-176 |
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|
377 day years |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
||
|
0 |
A |
B |
D |
||||||||
|
1 |
B |
|
D |
E |
F |
||||||
|
2 |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
||||||
|
3 |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
A |
|||||
This year was very probably regular -- see discussion under A.U.C. 579 = 175. Since the Julian dates of A.U.C. 579 = 175 are known, this fixes the Julian dates of A.U.C. 578 = 176. The implied solution for the nundinal letter for the year is marked in bolded blue in the above table.
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