This paper contextualises and interprets a text seldom addressed in Anglophone scholarship: De die natali (‘On the birthday’), written by Censorinus to celebrate his patron Caerellius’ birthday in 238 c.e. By exploring both gestation (natalis) and time measurement (dies), the work seeks to elucidate and isolate Caerellius’ birthday in time; it is the ultimate guide to his dies natalis. Despite a seemingly narrow focus, De die natali is best understood as part of a broad ‘spectrum’ of encyclopaedic texts, exemplifying the ‘totalising’ impetus of knowledge ordering in the Roman Empire, while simultaneously exposing the limits of such efforts. An interlocking set of tensions underlie the text, which resonate with other encyclopaedic projects — tensions between unity and plurality, centre and periphery, and the relationship between nature and culture. De die natali is both a product of, and commentary on, the conditions of human knowledge and the Empire's cultural diversity in the early third century.

中文翻译：

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生日礼物：Censorinus' De die natali

本文对英语学术研究中很少涉及的文本进行语境化和解释：死去的那一天（“生日那天”），由 Censorinus 为庆祝他的赞助人 Caerellius 在 238 年的生日而写ce. 通过探索两个妊娠（纳塔利斯) 和时间测量 (死)，该作品旨在及时阐明和隔离 Caerellius 的生日；这是他的终极指南死去. 尽管看似狭隘的焦点，死去的那一天最好将其理解为广泛“范围”的百科全书文本的一部分，体现了罗马帝国知识秩序的“总体”推动力，同时暴露了这种努力的局限性。文本背后是一系列相互关联的张力，与其他百科全书式的项目产生共鸣——统一与多元、中心与外围以及自然与文化之间的关系之间的张力。死去的那一天它既是三世纪初人类知识状况和帝国文化多样性的产物，也是对它的评论。