Just pausing a moment to consider that we continue to have months named after Julius Caesar and Augustus, a dictator and an emperor, and we think nothing of it. The Julian calendar and then Gregorian established our days, weeks, months and years. Literally the passing of time is defined by Pax Romana.
- January: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings
- February: Roman purification festival februa, which took place around the middle of the month
- March: Mars, the Roman god of war
- April: From the Latin word aperio, “to open (bud),” as spring’s?renewal.
- May: Roman goddess Maia, who oversaw plant growth
- June: Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and women's well-being
- July: Roman dictator Julius Caesar after his death
- August: Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor
- September: The Latin word for seven, because it was the seventh month of the early Roman?calendar.
- October: The Latin word for eight
- November: The Latin word for nine
- December: The Latin word for ten and refers to the tenth month of the year
Yes, that's right. When Augustus and Caesar added July and August, they inserted them before the seventh month, but kept the names of seven to ten in place, even though they aren't number 7-10 anymore.
