Republic

The year of confusion

Republic · Roman Empire Daily
To fix a broken calendar, Julius Caesar made the year 46 BC 445 days long.

Deep dive

The old Roman calendar had drifted badly out of sync with the seasons. Caesar, advised by the astronomer Sosigenes, inserted extra months into 46 BC (the 'year of confusion') before launching the Julian calendar of 365.25 days in 45 BC.

Source: Censorinus, 'De Die Natali,' 20; Macrobius, 'Saturnalia,' 1.14.

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