Ancient history

How is Augustus connected to your calendar?

Augustus is connected to the modern calendar because he introduced the Julian calendar in 46 BCE. The Julian calendar was a solar calendar that consisted of 365 days, with an extra day added every four years (leap year). This calendar was used throughout the Roman Empire and much of Europe until the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582.

Augustus also changed the names of several months in the calendar. January, August, and September are all named after Augustus. January is named after Ianus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. August is named after Augustus himself, and September is named after septem, the Latin word for "seven," because it was originally the seventh month of the calendar.