How Ancient Rome Appears in Our Calendars

How Ancient Rome Appears in Our Calendars

Have you ever wondered where the months of the year came from? Well, the answer is actually Rome!

Most of our months are actually named after Roman gods, leaders, and numbers:

• January – Named for Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and endings. This marks the beginning of a new year perfectly!

• February – Comes from Februa, a festival of purification. Think of it as the Romans’ way of spring cleaning!

• March – Honoring the God, Mars, because spring was prime season for battles.

• April – Possibly from aperire (“to open”), signaling the blooming of flowers, or from Aphrodite (historians are not sure)

• May – Named for Maia, a nurturing figure for crops and prosperity.

• June – Named after Juno, protector of women and marriage.

• July – This one’s political: originally Quintilis (the fifth month in the old Roman calendar) but renamed to honor Julius Caesar after his assassination.

• August – Formerly Sextilis (sixth month) but renamed for Augustus, the man who brought peace (for a while).

• September–December – The numbers don’t line up anymore. They were the 7th–10th months in the original 10-month Roman calendar, which started in March. The Roman calendar later added January and February, shifting everything.

What This Means Today

We are quickly approaching Rome's prime battle season, and moving away from spring cleaning! So now, every time you glance at a calendar or set a date in your planner, you’re not just organizing life, you're looking into the past of ancient Rome! So, the next time someone complains about a new month flying by, just tell them they're living history! The fact that we use the Roman calendar shows the legacy and importance of Classics in today's world, even when we don't even realize it.