It is paradoxical that in the year 44 a. C. the dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated on a day considered auspicious in the Roman calendar. The Ides were celebrated on the 15th of the months of March, May, July and October and on the 13th in the rest of the year. This day was considered good luck because it was consecrated to the god Mars who, according to the calendar preceding the Julian, was the first month of the year and the beginning of everything. In this post we will talk about Ides of March, origin and history.
In the oldest calendars, the Ides of March corresponded to the days when the first full moon of the new year appeared and had its own rituals. In the early days of the Ides, the high priest sacrificed sheep on the Arx. Also celebrated was theAnna Perenna Partyยป for those auspicious days of March, these festivities ended with the celebrations for the new year, they were very popular, there was a lot of food, drinks and fun.
In the times of Julius Caesar, the ides still had a strong symbolic character and it was a day full of good news. When the dictator dies, the history of Ancient Rome becomes a turning point.
Origin of the Ides of March
The Roman calendar was a religious tool that determined sacred festivals. His days were named in a more complicated way. For this reason, the priestly caste was the one who determined many of its aspects. For example, the month was divided into three periods: kalends (kalendae), Nonas (Nonae) and Ides (Idus) and each one corresponded with the new moon, the half moon and the full moon, respectively.
This meant that the Romans did not know the division of the weeks, which was not imposed until the Emperor Constantine arrived. The first Roman calendar was of ten months and began with Martius (March). Apparently it was created by Romulus in the year 753 BC The new moon, which represented the first phase, corresponded to the first day of the month (kalends); for the fifth or the seventh day of the month the second phase fell and it was called nonas. The Idus corresponded to the full moon and were on the 13th or 15th of the month.
It was during the late Roman Republic that the new year festival was celebrated on the days of the Ides of March. People gathered to celebrate on the banks of the Tiber River, located near Rome. The celebration included food, wine and music. and they made him sacrifices to the deity of Anna Perenna for a happy and prosperous new year. For the years 222 and 153 a. C., the ides also indicated the beginning of the new consular year, which consisted of annually electing two consuls to assume the position of leaders of the Republic.
Then in the year 46 BC, after consulting the astronomer Alejandrino Sosigenes, Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, adding ten dates to the year of 355 days, with January 1 as the first day of the new year.
What are the Ides of March and when are they celebrated?
The ides of marchare generally associated with the death of emperor Julius Caesar, because it happened in those days. A group of Roman senators, worried about Caesar’s growing power and his hegemonic leanings, planned his assassination. He was stabbed to death on March 15, 44 BC From that point on, the Ides of March is linked with the death of Julius Caesar.
It is not known for sure what were the motives that led to the assassination of Julius Caesar. Although surely one of them is related to his attempts to establish an autocratic regime. Although it is not ruled out that there were other compelling reasons. Just knowing the number of senators who were involved in the plot gives us a clear indication of how heated tempers were.
Now, where does the phrase that you have to be careful of the Ides of March come from? The story starts from something written by Plutarch who pointed out that Julius Caesar himself was warned by a seer of his death, who approached him and told him “beware of the Ides of March” Although the emperor ignored that warning .
How was the conspiracy to Julius Caesar
It is considered the most famous political crime of all time and it occurred on March 15, 2065 years ago. It was the assassination of Julius Caesar, committed on the Ides of March festivities, the day the New Year celebrations ended.
The assassination of dictator Julius Caesar had political but also personal implications. Caesar obtained the triumph of the civil war in the 1st century BC, facing “Populares” and “Optimates”. The former were led by Caesar and the latter by Pompey the Great. The Optimates were the ones who controlled the senate, so the Republic was in the hands of the oligarchs. When they were defeated, Caesar did not retaliate against them.
Caesar was a dictator and news of the conspiracy had reached his ears. Plutarch had already indicated that a seer had warned him about the plot on the Ides of March, but the emperor ignored this. Julius Caesar’s assassination took place in the Senate, in Pompey’s Forum.
A large number of senators participated in the conspiracy, prompting him to cease 23 stab wounds. Said conspiracy was led by Marcus Junius Brutus, who was said to be the son of Julius Caesar. It should also be noted that his mother, Servilia, was one of his lovers. Tradition says that he dedicated his last words to him when he said: “You too, my son?” Although Plutarch, one of the oldest sources, said that this never happened, rather Caesar defended himself with a writing stylus and when he saw that he was already dying, he covered his face.
After Julius Caesar’s death, more civil wars occurred. His nephew Octavio was the one who put an end to the Republic and proclaimed himself king.
Know the social classes in the Roman Empire: