← @magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman

Use Cases & Production Patterns

@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman provides deterministic, high-performance classical calendar calculations for applications in classical archaeology, numismatics, epigraphy, academic digital humanities, and legal manuscript processing.

---

1. Digital Epigraphy & Classical Inscription Parsing

The Challenge

Museum catalogs, archaeological excavation databases, and epigraphic registries (such as the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum) frequently record dates in Latin abbreviations (e.g. a.d. IV Id. Mart. or a.d. XVII Kal. Nov.). Systems need to compute the exact modern Gregorian/Julian calendar coordinate for temporal indexing and GIS timelines.

Implementation Pattern

import { Tempo } from '@magmacomputing/tempo';
import { RomanPlugin } from '@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman';

Tempo.use(RomanPlugin);

interface InscriptionRecord {
  id: string;
  catalogNumber: string;
  latinDate: string;
  anchor: 'Kalends' | 'Nones' | 'Ides';
  anchorMonth: number;
  relation: 'on' | 'pridie' | 'ante_diem';
  count: number;
  yearAuc: number;
}

function resolveInscriptionDate(record: InscriptionRecord): Tempo {
  // 1. Convert AUC year to astronomical calendar year
  const astronomicalYear = Tempo.roman.aucToYear(record.yearAuc);

  // 2. Resolve classical Roman anchor to calendar date
  const resolved = Tempo.roman.fromClassical(
    record.anchor,
    record.anchorMonth,
    astronomicalYear,
    record.relation,
    record.count,
    false, // isBissextile
    true   // isJulian
  );

  return new Tempo({
    year: resolved.year,
    month: resolved.month,
    day: resolved.day
  });
}

// Example: Inscription recording "a.d. XVII Kal. Nov. 2779 AUC"
const tempoDate = resolveInscriptionDate({
  id: 'c-104',
  catalogNumber: 'CIL VI 2065',
  latinDate: 'a.d. XVII Kal. Nov.',
  anchor: 'Kalends',
  anchorMonth: 11,
  relation: 'ante_diem',
  count: 17,
  yearAuc: 2779
});

console.log(tempoDate.format('{yyyy}-{mm}-{dd}')); // "2026-10-16"

// Or resolve the inscription text directly using the Phase 3 Classical Parser:
const parsedFromText = Tempo.roman.parse('a.d. XVII Kal. Nov. 2779 AUC');
console.log(parsedFromText.format('{yyyy}-{mm}-{dd}')); // "2026-10-16"

---

2. Numismatics & Ancient Coin Provenance

The Challenge

Numismatic databases record Roman imperial coinage dated by AUC foundation years or major commemorative Roman dates. Coin metadata must be indexed synchronously alongside both modern CE/BCE dates and historical AUC timestamps.

Implementation Pattern

import { Tempo } from '@magmacomputing/tempo';
import '@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman/install';

interface RomanCoin {
  mintId: string;
  emperor: string;
  issueDate: Tempo;
}

const coinCollection: RomanCoin[] = [
  {
    mintId: 'RIC-I-42',
    emperor: 'Augustus',
    issueDate: new Tempo('-000026-01-16') // January 16, 27 BCE (Title of Augustus conferred)
  },
  {
    mintId: 'RRC-415-1',
    emperor: 'Julius Caesar',
    issueDate: new Tempo('-000043-03-15') // March 15, 44 BCE (Ides of March)
  }
];

// Enrich numismatic metadata with classical Roman and AUC representations
const enrichedCatalog = coinCollection.map(coin => {
  const roman = coin.issueDate.toRomanClassical();
  return {
    mintId: coin.mintId,
    emperor: coin.emperor,
    gregorian: coin.issueDate.format('{yyyy}-{mm}-{dd}'),
    latinDate: roman.latin,
    shortDate: roman.shortLatin,
    yearAuc: `${coin.issueDate.toAUC()} AUC`
  };
});

console.table(enrichedCatalog);

---

3. Academic Manuscript Dating & Legal Charters

The Challenge

Medieval papal bulls, monastic annals, and European royal charters frequently dated official decrees using the Roman ecclesiastical calendar. Archival tools need to verify whether transcribed dates match internal document text and compute verified civil calendar dates.

Implementation Pattern

import { Tempo } from '@magmacomputing/tempo';
import '@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman/install';

function verifyCharterDating(year: number, month: number, day: number) {
  const tempo = new Tempo({ year, month, day });
  const classical = tempo.toRomanClassical();

  return {
    isoDate: tempo.format('{yyyy}-{mm}-{dd}'),
    formalLatin: classical.latin,
    abbreviated: classical.shortLatin,
    aucYear: classical.auc,
    isLeapIntercalation: classical.isBissextile
  };
}

// Verify a decree signed on February 24 in a leap year
const leapCharter = verifyCharterDating(2024, 2, 24);
console.log(leapCharter.formalLatin);
// "ante diem bis sextum Kalendas Martias"

// Verify an autumn charter signed on October 14
const idesEveCharter = verifyCharterDating(2026, 10, 14);
console.log(idesEveCharter.formalLatin);
// "Pridie Idus Octobres"

---

4. Consular Dating & Fasti Chronology

The Challenge

Historical sources and decrees from the Roman Republic and early Empire were rarely dated by year numbers; they were dated by the eponymous Roman consuls holding office. Historians need to match consular dating formulas (e.g., "C. Julio Caesare V, M. Antonio coss.") with exact astronomical and civil calendar coordinates.

Implementation Pattern

import { Tempo } from '@magmacomputing/tempo';
// Full 1,050-year Fasti consulares (also auto-installs RomanPlugin):
import '@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman/consuls';
// (For lean core without full Fasti, use: import '@magmacomputing/tempo-plugin-roman/install')

// 1. Resolve an astronomical date and format its presiding consuls
const ides44BCE = new Tempo('-000043-03-15');
console.log(ides44BCE.consuls);
// "C. Julio Caesare V, M. Antonio coss."

// 2. Format with standard Tempo tokens
console.log(ides44BCE.format('{roman:classical}, {roman:consul}'));
// "Idibus Martiis, C. Julio Caesare V, M. Antonio coss."

// 3. Search the Fasti consulares (509 BCE–541 CE) by consul name
const ciceroEntries = Tempo.roman.findConsuls('Cicero');
console.log(ciceroEntries[0]);
// { year: -62, consuls: ['M. Tullius Cicero', 'C. Antonius Hybrida'], formatted: 'M. Tullio Cicerone, C. Antonio Hybrida coss.' }

// 4. Parse classical text with a consular dating formula directly
const dateFromConsuls = Tempo.roman.parse('Idibus Martiis Cicerone coss.');
console.log(dateFromConsuls.format('{yyyy}-{mm}-{dd}')); // "-000062-03-15" (March 15, 63 BCE)

---

See Also

• Classical Fasti & Lunar Anchors: Deep dive on anchor formulas, bissextile intercalation, and Latin declensions.
• Plugin Documentation Home: Complete API surface catalog and interactive live REPL.