Fasti

The Fasti is a long, unfinished Latin poem by the Roman poet Ovid. It is believed that Ovid wrote the poem during his exile in Tomis towards the end of his life.

The poem is an extensive treatment on the Roman calendar, loosely imitated from the Works and Days by Hesiod. Each of its separate books discusses one month of the Roman calendar, beginning with January. It contains some brief astronomical notes, but its more significant portions discuss the religious festivals of the Roman religion, and discuss the rites performed upon them, and their mythological explanations. These explanations preserve much mythological and religious lore that would have otherwise been lost.

Unfortunately, Ovid did not live to see the poem finished, and as such only the first six months were written.

External link

• The Fasti, annotated Latin edition from Project Gutenberg.