Your Day in the Ancient Greek World

January 13

January 13 in ancient Greece is represented in our source-audited archive by 2 verified records spanning 218 BC to AD 532. Together, the entries below connect this calendar date with different moments in the ancient Greek world through historical and documentary evidence.

Across the centuries

On This Day

  1. 218 BC

    Life on This Day

    Ptolemaic Egypt Society & Daily Life High

    A Family Petitions Over an Unpaid Funeral Benefit

    On January 13, 218 BC, relatives of a deceased association member petitioned because the group had apparently failed to provide the funeral payment expected for its member. The case reveals mutual-aid obligations inside a Hellenistic association.

    Sources

    Primary evidence

    • P.Enteux. 21

    Modern scholarship

    • Copenhagen Associations Project
    • Modern papyrological chronology

    Public links

  2. AD 532

    Event That Shaped History

    Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire Politics & Power High

    The Nika Riots Erupt in Constantinople

    On January 13, AD 532, the Blues and Greens demanded clemency for two imprisoned faction members during races in the Hippodrome. Justinian’s refusal to respond was followed by the first serious outbreak of the Nika riots, which rapidly spread through Constantinople.

    Sources

    Primary evidence

    • John Malalas, Chronicle 18
    • Chronicon Paschale
    • Procopius, Wars 1.24

    Modern scholarship

    • Geoffrey Greatrex, The Nika Riot: A Reappraisal, Journal of Hellenic Studies 117

    Public links