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Because of this, by 46 B.C. the spring season was
beginning late in the Roman calendar's month of Novembris instead of
in Martius as it had at the time of Rome's founding. Caesar, taking
the advice of an astronomer named Sosigenes, made the necessary adjustment
by adding either 88, 89 or 90 days (including 22 or 23 for the month of
Intercalaris) to that year. This extended the length of 46
B.C. to a total of between 443 and 445 days, depending
upon which historical person one believes.
1
Many modern authors have accepted the figure of 445 days for the Roman
calendar's year of 46 B.C..
Caesar then eliminated Intercalaris, but extended future calendars to
nearly a solar year's length by adding one or two extra days to the end of
various other months. Because of this action, the customary dates of feasts
remained undisturbed. Caesar's changes resulted in converting the Roman
calendar from being nominally lunar to one that was truly solar.
Romans began use of the Julian Calendar in 45 B.C.
According to some sources, one of its most remarkable features was symmetry
of month lengths. They say the first, third and every succeeding odd
numbered month had 31 days. Each second, fourth and all following even
numbered months were said to have had 30 days during leap years. Only
during common years was this regularly alternating cycle of 31 and 30-day
month lengths to be broken by Februarius, which would then have one
less day.
When Caesar was appointed dictator for life in 44 B.C.,
it didn't sit too well with some people of rank. Two of them, Brutus and
Cassius, led a conspiracy and assassinated Caesar on the Ides of
Martius in that year. The month Quintilis was later renamed
Julius (July) to honor him.
Caesar had intended that during every succeeding fourth year an extra day
would be inserted after the 23rd day of February. For a time after his
death, priests in charge of the calendar erroneously inserted an extra
day every three years instead of every four. As a result, this caused the
calendar to be slightly out of phase with seasons, an error that was
corrected by 8 A.D. It may also have been
at that time that February was shortened from its original Julian Calendar
length as claimed by Ovid.
Born two years after the Julian Calendar came into use, Ovid was a
contemporary of Augustus Caesar. He was not only a poet but an expert in
Roman mythology and calendars. His Fasti (Roman Holidays) concerned
both subjects. It was written in the form of one book for each month of the
year.
2
By 8 A.D., when Octavian (Augustus) was said to
have made "further adjustments" to the calendar,
3
Fasti was half completed.
4
In Fasti's second book Ovid had written: "Now I must tell about the
flight of the king. The sixth day from the end of the month got its name
from that."
5
"Regisfugim" was the name he referred to. It was shown abbreviated as
"REGIS" on the 24th day of February on many Julian Calendar paintings. This
indicates that Caesar assigned February 29 days.
But the flight of the king was celebrated on 24 February only in common
years. During leap years, the intercalated day was the 24th and the day of
the king's flight became the 25th (and was still the sixth day from the end
of the month). As a result, Ovid's statement also indicates that February's
length in the original Julian Calendar was 30 days in leap years prior to
those later revisions.
Don't confuse the Julian Calendar with Julian Days. They are two completely
different things. For information about the latter, see
An
Explanation of the Julian Day Numbering System.
FOOTNOTE:
(1) Kepler, Johan.
Letter to Herwart. 1597 A.D.
(2) Ovid. Fasti. (Roman Holidays)
Translated by Betty Rose Nagle.
Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1995.
Nagle's Introduction, Page 3.
(3) Nagle. ibid., Introduction, Page 28.
(4) Nagle. ibid., Introduction, Page 3.
(5) Ovid. op. cit., Book 2, Lines 685-6.
Prior pages in this series were:
An Introduction to Calendars
Days and Weeks
Months and Years
Calendar Structures
360 - The Trial
8th to 4th Century B.C. Calendar Changes
Early Roman Calendars
Following sections concern:
Octavian's Calendar Changes
Gregorian Calendar
Fixed-Week Calendar
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Last revision: April 25, 1998
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