Julian calendar
The reform of the calendar was held in 46 BC.e.the Roman high priest, the commander and writer Guy Julius Caesar( 100-44 BC).Prior to this, Caesar visited Egypt, got acquainted with the Egyptian solar calendar and even made some treatises on astronomy that did not reach us. The development of the new calendar was carried out by a group of Alexandrian astronomers led by Sozigen.
The calendar, later named Julian, is based on a solar year, the duration of which was assumed equal to 365.25 days. But in a calendar year there can be only a whole number of days. Therefore, it was prescribed to count 365 days in three out of every four years, and 366 days in the fourth year.
As before the whole month of Mercedony, and now this one day decided to "hide" between 24 and 25 February and call it bis sextum Kal. Mart - "twice the sixth before the March Kalends".The completed year later was called annus bissextus, from which our word leaped.
Julius Caesar also ordered the number of days in months on this principle: an odd month has 31 days, an even one - 30. February in the simple year should have 29, in a leap one - 30 days. In the new calendar months the position of non and id was completely preserved, however, due to the lengthening of months, in some of them the number of days to calends increased. For example, on January 14, it became the 19th day before the February calends.
By the time of the reform, the calendar( and related holidays) had gone ahead from the seasonal changes for 90 days, so that on January 1 of the calendar year it would fall on October 3.In this connection, in the last year of the old calendar, three months were inserted: a mer- cedonia of 23 days and two nameless months( 33 and 34 days) between November and December. This year was called the "year of confusion"( annus confusiosus).Recall that in Descember, the Romans celebrated the Saturnalia - a feast in honor of Saturn, considered a god of crops and fertility. The end of the holiday was combined with the winter solstice. In addition, Julius Caesar decided to start the count of days in the new year from the new moon, which just happened on January 1( according to calculations the astronomical new moon in January 45 BC was 1 day at 18 hours 16 minutes).
In the new calendar, for almost every day of the year, it was instructed which star or constellation has its first morning( heliacal) sunrise or sunset. For example, in November( according to the modern account of the numbers of the month) it was noted: the 2nd - the entry of Arcturus, the 7th of the Pleiades and Orion, etc. Thus, the calendar was closely associated with the annual movement of the Sun along the ecliptic and, therefore, with the cycleagricultural works, the beginning of which was timed to a certain position of the constellations in the evening or morning sky.
The account for the Julian calendar was launched from January 1, 45 BC.e. On this day, from which already from 153 BC.e.entered the office of the newly elected Roman consuls, and the beginning of the year was postponed.
In gratitude for the reform, and also taking into account the outstanding military achievements of Julius Caesar( who was killed two years after the reform of the Ides of March - March 15, 44 BCE), the Roman Senate renamed the month Quintilis( this month Cesar was born) in Julius. Soon, however, the Roman priests, whether by illiteracy, or with the aim of compromising the calendar, again confused it, declaring a third calendar year as a leap( most likely, they used the "inclusive account" method).As a result, from 44 to 9 years. BC.e.12 leap years were introduced instead of 9. So, after the first year of the new calendar-45 BC.e.(it was a leap-day) leap years should have been 41, 37, 33, 13, 9 years. BC.e. In fact, they were 42, 39,. .., 12 and 9 years. This error was corrected by Emperor Augustus. For 16 years, since 9 BC.e.to 8 g.e. There were no leap years. In other words, 5 and 1 years. BC.e.and 4 years old.e.(ie, 749, 753 and 757 from the "foundation of Rome") were taken as simple. Thus, the Julian calendar began to function normally from March 1, 4, and.e. In this regard, the senate, considering the great military victories and in gratitude for the correction of the calendar, renamed the month Sextilis in Augustus. But the duration of this month was set by Julius Caesar in 30 days. Now another day was added to him, taking him from Februaarius. And that three months - Julius, Augustus and September - did not have a contract for 31 days, then from September one day was transferred to Oktober, and from November - one day on Deccember( table).
Table. The Roman calendar
Thus, the correct alternation of long and short months introduced by Caesar was violated, and the first half of the year was four days shorter than the second. Note that even after Augustus some emperors sought to perpetuate their name on the calendar. Thus, during the reign of Tiberius( 14-37 AD), the Senate renamed the month September in Tiberius, under Antonius Pne( 138-161 gg.) - the same month - in Antonius, under Aurelius Commodus( 176 192)-In the Commodus. Oktober in the times of Domitian( 81-96 gg.) Was called Domitianus. But these efforts of the rulers were rejected by the time itself. ..
The Roman system of dating of the days of the month in nomas and calendas persisted in Western Europe until the 16th century.