October

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter Oct 1, 2006

October, or octobris mensis, Latin, literally means eighth month. In ancient Rome the Romulus calendar began with the month of March, making October the eighth month. When Numa revised the calendar, he added in the months of January and February. October became the tenth month of the year, but retained its original name.

Many attempts were made by Roman emperors to change the name of the month of October, however none of the names ever lasted. Some of the names that replaced were Germanicus, Antoninus, Tacitus, and Herculeus. October had also been renamed Faustinus by the Roman Senate, but, like the other names, it didn’t last.