Some Interesting Facts About the Month of August
The month of August is officially upon us. But have you ever wondered how it got its name?
August was actually named after Roman emperor Augustus Caesar.
After Augustus defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra, and became emperor of Rome, the Roman Senate decided that he should have a month named after him.
The month Sextillus (sex = six) was chosen for Augustus, and the senate justified its actions in the following resolution:
Whereas the Emperor Augustus Caesar, in the month of Sextillis . . . thrice entered the city in triumph . . and in the same month Egypt was brought under the authority of the Roman people, and in the same month an end was put to the civil wars; and whereas for these reasons the said month is, and has been, most fortunate to this empire, it is hereby decreed by the senate that the said month shall be called Augustus.
(Pictured a portion of the bust of Augustus Caesar as photographed in the Vatican Museum. It can be seen on the forward in the 1908 book: Augustus, The Life and Times of the Founder of the Roman Empire as found on www.edu.Global)
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