With the release of the physical NCQ anthology, I thought it would be interesting to look at the history of the newspaper. Through my research, I discovered that the ancient forefather of the newspaper originates from the Roman Empire. Let’s explore the Roman “Acta Diurna”.

Acta Diurna (Daily Acts) is regarded by some scholars to be the first ever newspaper. The origins of Acta Diurna trace back to the one and only Julius Caesar, who ordered public officials to track and record public acts; as such, it was also known as “Acta Populi” (acts of the people), “Acta Publica” (acts of the public/state), or simply as “Acta” or “Diurna”. The Acta Diurna is considered to be the first newspaper due to the nature of its contents, concerning both official and private matters, and the wide variety of topics covered.

Among the more serious information released to the public were results of judicial hearings, executions, Senate debates, people’s assemblies, new decrees from the Emperor, Senate, and Magistrates, updates on military matters, and executions. The more “private” matters (if you can call them that, since that information is also released to the public) concerned weddings, births, deaths, obituaries, and gossip. 

The Acta was refreshed with new information every day, and placed on a whitened board, the Album, for all the public to view. Previous Diurna were left for a “reasonable” time, likely until they were deemed irrelevant, then stored and preserved in case of future need. The Acta Diurna was perceived as popular and purposeful, as scribes would copy its contents to distribute to governors, and later emperors would use the Acta Diurna to announce new descrees. The Acta Diurna survived almost 400 years, and was only discontinued in 330 CE, when the capital of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople, thus beginning the Byzantine Empire.

However, an argument could be made that the Acta Diurna was not the first newspaper released in Rome. The “Annales Maximi” (Greatest/Longest Chronicles) lasted from the founding of the Roman Republic until 133 BC, according to Cicero. Servius states that these chronicles were recorded by the pontifex maximus daily; an abbreviated version would be displayed on a white board in the Roman forum. Although its primary purpose was to  keep key public events and important magistrates, the earliest records contained mythological events. Still, the “Annales” seemed to be accurate despite questionable documentation, as Roman historians frequently referenced the chronicles in their writing. The key difference between the Acta Durnia and Annals Maximi was the seriousness of their content: the Annales Maximi only publicized the more serious and important matters, while the Acta Durnia was left with the less crucial stories to publish. The Annales functioned more as a historical record, and the Acta was implemented as a newspaper for the public.

Unfortunately no copies of the Acta Durnia survived the passage of time, and the quantity of circulation is unknown. Instead, take some fun facts related to the Acta Durnia:

• From 330 CE to the 16th Century, there is no other evidence of the existence of a newspaper. 
• Acta Durnia was also referred to as “Diurnalis”, Book of Hours. The italian and French word “giournale” and “journal” are derived.
• The Acta announced and ended each edition with the phrase “publicare et propagare”, meaning to make public and propagate. 
• Acta Durnia is a plural noun+adjective, however, I’ve chosen to refer to it as a single object. Please forgive me English and Latin teachers.
  • This is similar to the words Data, Bacteria, Agenda, Media, and Pterygopalatine Ganglia (you earn a penny if you know what this means).

I hope you continue to enjoy Nobles’ own Acta Durnia!