Editing Battle of Cannae (section)

== Date ==
[[File:Monumento Battaglia di Canne.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|A modern monument near the site of the Battle of Cannae]]

Ancient historians rarely provide the precise dates for the events they describe. For example, Livy provides no explicit dates for any of the battles of the Second Punic War. [[Macrobius]], citing the Roman annalist [[Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius]], states the battle was fought {{lang|la|ante diem iiii nones [[Sextilis]]}}, or 2 August.<ref>Macrobius, ''Saturnalia'', 1.1.6.26</ref>

The months of the pre-Julian [[Roman calendar]] are known not to correspond to its namesake [[Julian day]]. For example, Livy records a [[lunar eclipse]] in 168&nbsp;BC as occurring on 4 September, when astronomical calculations show it happened on Julian day 21 June of that year.<ref>Livy, ''Ab urbe condita'', XLIV.37.8</ref> This discrepancy arose from the failure of the [[college of pontiffs|pontifices]] to properly perform [[intercalation (timekeeping)|intercalations]], either by accident or for political advantage. A review of the evidence led P. S. Derow to identify the equivalent Julian date as 1 July 216&nbsp;BC. Other authorities have suggested other Julian dates.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Derow |first=P. S. |title=The Roman Calendar, 218-191 B.C. |journal=Phoenix |publisher=Classical Association of Canada |volume=30 |issue=3 |year=1976 |issn=0031-8299 |jstor=1087297 |pages=277ff}}</ref>