RAY GLEASON

During the late Roman Republic, the consular term began with the first day of the Roman year, 1 January.

The years themselves were identified with the consuls in office. For example, in the first book of his Gallic Wars, Caesar dates Orgetorix’ conspiracy among the Helvetians saying, “M Messala et M Pisone consulibus regni cupiditate inductus coniurationem nobilitatis fecit (while Marcus Messala and Marcus Piso were consuls, [Orgetorix] desired regal powers, so he hatched a plot among the nobles)” (de bello Gallico 1.2). According to modern reckoning, the year was 61 BCE.

Also, during the late Republic, Romans began to count years from the founding of their city. Although Roman historians used different dates for this event, the date most widely used was that of Marcus Terentius Varro, 753 BCE. This Verronian chronology was made official in the reign of Insubrecus’ mentor, patron and erstwhile chum, Augustus. 

Dates used according to this method are designated AUC, AB URBE CONDITA, “from the founding of the city.” So, the date of the Orgetorix conspiracy mentioned by Caesar occurred in 693 AUC.

One last complication! Romans of course did not use Arabic numerals; they used those pesky Roman numerals which, for some reason beyond my understanding, the entertainment industry still uses to date movies and TV shows. So, 693 AUC becomes DCXCIII AUC.

So, when Insubrecus tells the story of the murdered centurion, which occurred during his first year as the city prefect of Mediolanum, he identifies the year as, 

ANNO CONSULIUM IMP CAESARIS DIVI F AUGUSTI VIII ET T STATILII II AUC DCCXXVIII,

During the Consulships of the Imperator, Caesar, Son of the God, the Venerable One, 8th Term, and Titus Statilius Taurus, 2nd Term, 728 years from the founding of the city.

Or, for us moderns, 26 BCE.