The month of August

by Sumana Saparamadu

August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. In the northern hemisphere it is midsummer and midwinter in the southern hemisphere. In ancient Rome, August was called Sextilis, Latin for sixth, the Roman calendar began with March and this was the sixth month. It was renamed August in the year 8 AD to honour Augustus Caesar the ruler of Rome. A few weeks ago, you would have read that July was given that name to honour the then ruler of Rome, Julius Caesar. Augustus Caesar was a grandson of the sister of Julius Caesar and was named in his will as his adopted son and heir. He was only 18 when Julius Caesar died in 44 BC. Augustus Caesar became master of the Roman Empire in 29 BC, and his reign is known as the Augustan Age, the golden age of architecture and literature. You know that every other month of the year has 31 days and the alternate months, except February have 30 days each.

This order is broken in August, which should have 30 days. But August has 31 days. Why? Augustus Caesar was unhappy or so the Senators thought, that Julius Caesar's month had 31 days whereas his month had only 30 days.

So a day was taken from September and added to August. September lost a day, now the order is September30 - October 31, November 30 and December 31.

Julius Caesar

Caesar was a politician and general of the late Roman republic, who greatly extended the Roman empire before seizing power and making himself dictator of Rome, paving the way for the imperial system. Julius Caesar was born in Rome on 12 or 13 July 100 BC into the prestigious Julian clan. His family were closely connected with the Marian faction in Roman politics.

Caesar himself progressed within the Roman political system, becoming in succession quest for, aedile (65) and praetor (62).

In 61-60 BC he served as governor of the Roman province of Spain. Back in Rome in 60, Caesar made a pact with Pompey and Crassus, who helped him to get elected as consul for 59 BC.

The following year he was appointed governor of Roman Gaul where he stayed for eight years, adding the whole of modern France and Belgium to the Roman empire, and making Rome safe from the possibility of Gallic invasions.

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Augustus Caesar

Augustus was born Gaius Octavius but commonly referred to as Octavian. His father, Gaius, was a senator who died when Octavian was only four years old and his mother, Atia, was a niece to Emperor Julius Caesar. Octavian was sick frequently as a child and struggled with his health throughout his lifetime. He was educated in politics and military matters. By the age of 16, he was on the verge of joining his great-uncle Caesar's army.

However, Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. and because of a provision in his will, Octavian was made his adopted son and rightful heir. In 27 B.C. he accepted the title Augustus.

Not much is known about Octavian's first two wives. Claudia was the step-daughter of Marc Antony. Octavian divorced her and married Scribonia, daughter of Lucius Scribonius Libo, in 40 B.C. He married his third and final wife Livia in 39 B.C. She already had one son, Tiberius, and was pregnant with her second, Drusus, when she met Augustus.

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