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ST. MARY MAJOR’S BASILICA, THE HIDDEN CALENDAR

The St. Mary Major’s Basilica hosts a secret special calendar which gives us a fascinating insight into the daily life of Ancient Rome.
This ancient agenda is not like the modern ones we are used to. Actually, it is a fresco painted on the wall of an existing Roman building, depicting a whole year divided into months and probably days. Thanks to this calendar, archaeologists have been able to reconstruct more precisely how the Romans organized their time and life and how it works their agricultural activities and holidays.

In fact, the fresco shows how the year was marked by agricultural work, which was essential for the survival of the population, and when holidays and festivities for the grape harvest were celebrated, a truly unique insight into Ancient Rome’s social life. The images on the calendar are mainly related to the world of agriculture: we can see scenes of harvesting, pruning, sowing and harvesting, which give us an idea of how the Romans organized their work according to the cycle of the seasons. Nowadays, the calendar is located in an archaeological area below the Basilica, a real hidden treasure that allows us to travel back in time.

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