What are the Ides of March?
Beware the Ides of March! However why? Within the historic Roman calendar, the Ides of March have been equal to our March 15. The Romans thought-about the day a deadline for settling money owed, perhaps much like our looming Tax Day right here within the U.S. However it’s extra seemingly that, in the present day – in our trendy world – for those who’ve heard of the Ides of March, it’s in all probability due to William Shakespeare. In his play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer attracts Caesar’s consideration and tells him:
Beware the ides of March.
Caesar calls for:
What man is that? Set him earlier than me, let me see his face.
When the soothsayer repeats his warning, Caesar dismisses him, saying:
He’s a dreamer; allow us to go away him. Go.
Then, two acts later, Caesar is assassinated on the steps of the Senate.
Marking the months
Within the play – and in actuality – Julius Caesar was certainly assassinated on the Ides of March, or March 15, within the 12 months 44 BCE. So, whereas Julius Caesar ought to have been cautious concerning the Ides of March, the remainder of us don’t want to fret.
Within the historic Roman calendar, every month had an Ides. For the months of March, Might, July and October, the Ides fell on the fifteenth day. In each different month, the Ides fell on the thirteenth day.
The phrase Ides derives from a Latin phrase meaning to divide. To start with, the Ides marked the full moons, however as a result of calendar months and lunar months have been totally different lengths, they shortly obtained out of step.
The Romans additionally had a reputation for the primary day of each month: the Kalends. Our phrase calendar derives from Kalends.
Actually, our trendy calendar could be very very similar to the one which Julius Caesar enacted the 12 months earlier than his demise. It had twelve months and 12 months every year. It even took under consideration the truth that Earth’s orbit across the sun isn’t an entire variety of days by including a leap day each few years.
Backside line: The Ides of March corresponded to March 15 in historic Rome. We bear in mind them due to William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.
