The Roman calendar for the months of July and August is perhaps special because these months were named after Julius Caesar and his adoptive son Emperor Augustus.
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Ancient Roman calendars went through a number of improvements, in particular taking the old calendar made of ten months only to twelve months to complete the solar year. The Julian calendar reformed under Julius Caesar was the prototype for our own modern 12 month calendar.
The months of July and August – Julius and Augustus – are particular in that they have the name of two great Roman leaders:Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus. These months were previously named according to their position in the original ancient Roman calendar (ie the fifth and sixth month), followed by September which retains its root “septem” meaning “7”.
Particular festivities in the months of July and August included:
- Neptunalia on July 23rd in honour of Neptune god of the Seas and Irrigation.
- The Vulcanalia on August 23 in honour of the god of fire and of blacksmiths Vulcan.
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