diff --git a/django/core/urlresolvers.py b/django/core/urlresolvers.py
index 22604cf96d..669b2d1afa 100644
--- a/django/core/urlresolvers.py
+++ b/django/core/urlresolvers.py
@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@ from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured, ViewDoesNotExist
 from django.utils.functional import memoize
 import re
 
+try:
+    reversed
+except NameError:
+    from django.utils.itercompat import reversed     # Python 2.3 fallback
+
 _resolver_cache = {} # Maps urlconf modules to RegexURLResolver instances.
 _callable_cache = {} # Maps view and url pattern names to their view functions.
 
diff --git a/django/template/defaulttags.py b/django/template/defaulttags.py
index 66443fc3b3..19beb29141 100644
--- a/django/template/defaulttags.py
+++ b/django/template/defaulttags.py
@@ -11,12 +11,7 @@ import re
 try:
     reversed
 except NameError:
-    # Python 2.3 fallback.
-    # From http://www.python.org/doc/current/tut/node11.html
-    def reversed(data):
-        for index in xrange(len(data)-1, -1, -1):
-            yield data[index]
-
+    from django.utils.itercompat import reversed     # Python 2.3 fallback
 
 register = Library()
 
diff --git a/django/utils/itercompat.py b/django/utils/itercompat.py
index 48a2d99d3a..ff814bfd7b 100644
--- a/django/utils/itercompat.py
+++ b/django/utils/itercompat.py
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ def groupby(iterable, keyfunc=None):
             l.append(item)
     yield lastkey, l
 
+# Not really in itertools, since it's a builtin in Python 2.4 and later, but it
+# does operate as an iterator.
+def reversed(data):
+    for index in xrange(len(data)-1, -1, -1):
+        yield data[index]
+
 if hasattr(itertools, 'tee'):
     tee = itertools.tee
 else: