COLLOQUIUM: James Ker, UPENN, "The Distinguished Day: Diachronic Perspectives on Clock Time at Rome"

Who divided the Roman day, and in the process divided Roman history? Ancient literature and material culture offer multiple possible perspectives on what it means to ask such a question, as well as multiple answers to it. I’ll offer a selective review, focusing on the Varronian idea of separation (discretio) and its diverse inflection in subsequent authors such as Pliny the Elder and Censorinus.