During the rule of Julius Caesar the calendar for Rome and its Empire was reformed. Prior to 45 BCE when the Julian Calendar took effect, the Roman Calendar consisted of 12 months totaling 355 days. To make up the shortfall to the solar year, an intercalary month was inserted on occasion between February and March: a mensis intercalaris.
This played havoc with scheduling sporting events, inviting folks over for supper or planning Bar Mitzvahs.
Caesar put “his people” to rectifying this situation. Calling the top Alexandrine Astronomer of the day, Sosigenes, to the task, a new calendar was designed: a regular year would be 365 days, spread into 12 months, a “leap” year added every four years in February.
But even this was not good enough! It became apparent (to those in the know) that 11 minutes were gained each year against the actual astronomical calculation of how long it took the earth to circle the sun. This meant that every 134 years a day has to be added.
Not good. The Calendar was yet again tweaked in 1582 when Pope Gregory was sitting in Rome… and the Gregorian Calendar was put in place and established our present calendar… it was also determined that the day before Ash Wednesday as the day when women bare their breasts for the cost of a few beads.
But we get ahead of ourselves… baring breasts was not on Caesar’s mind when the first contemporary calendar was put into place; but ruling the Empire was.
When were the “Rites of Spring Orgy”, when do we beat up another civilization, when is the Senate in session? You can see where a good calendar would be necessary.
But consider this… the first day of any month is known as Kalends. So… our “May Day”… the First of May, in Roman times would have been referred to as Kalends of May.
And now it gets more complicated. Depending upon the length of the month, the 5th or 7th day of the month was called Nones. And then it falls that the 15th of March, May, July and October is called Ides (in the other months Ides is on the 13th day).
Talk about confusing! Tough to run a railroad that way!
So it’s 44 BCE… and a sayer of sooths warns Julius Caesar to “Beware of the Ides of March“… and oblivious to this, Caesar goes to the Senate and Brutus does him in. The rest, as they say, is History. Rome is thrown into turmoil and historical “Monday morning quarterbacks” say that Caesar should have taken better care.
History has been unkind. Caesar had a lot on his mind.
The new calendar was only in place for a year… and who the hell can remember whether the Ides falls on the 13th or the 15th (maybe they didn’t have a nursery rhyme like 30 days hast September, etc., etc. to help them).
And what about that strange month, this mensis intercalaris, that was inserted between February and March… maybe that was still in play?
No wonder Caesar paid no heed to the warning. You know… he probably thought, “Ides of March”?? Is that when gladiators and lions report for spring training?
The way I look at it… who the hell really knew what day it was anyway? Some fancy shmancy Astronomer in Alexandria?
And this soothsayer? Where’d he come from? With all the craziness of the calendar and the days of the week, not even a Nostradamus could have predicted Caesar’s fate (this soothsayer guy called a lucky one!).
Sure… Caesar was caught off guard.
But you know what… I’m giving Caesar a pass on this.