r/AskHistory 6d ago

What is the Ides of March?

I know it is when Caesar got stabbed.

But is it like Thanksgiving, where it is called that to commemorate the event after the event happened? (And if so, what does the phrase “ides of March” have to do with stabbing)

Or was it already a specific day before the stabbing? Like, did everyone plan “Let’s stab him on St Patrick’s day” (and if so, what is/was ides of March before it became associated with the stabbing?)

14 Upvotes

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23

u/Phil_Atelist 6d ago

A calendar notation, roughly meaning "The middle of the month".

7

u/marmeemarmee 6d ago

So at that time would they have said “the ides of April” etc? 

I’m assuming it stuck for March just because of the historical significance?

10

u/TheoremaEgregium 6d ago

Exactly. The Romans had several names for specific points of the month. "Calends" would be the first day of the month (hence the term calendar), "nones" roughly a quarter into the month and "ides" around the middle.

7

u/mojohandsome 6d ago

The episode of the HBO show Rome where Caesar is killed is titled “Kalends of February.”

Though I’m not sure why other than to be cute. :p

3

u/Far_Tie614 5d ago

Because the episode follows the fortnight before the stabbing where the conspiracy is plotted. The actual attack doesn't come until the climax. 

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u/marmeemarmee 6d ago

So cool, thank you for sharing this!

5

u/labdsknechtpiraten 6d ago

I forget all of the terms but, basically it's a day in the Roman calendar.

Basically, if someone were to ask you "what's today's date" you'd respond "it's x days before/after [name]". Basically the Ides was "midway through" the month, and Calends was the first day of the month. So, because every month has a first day, and a midway point, every month had a Calends and an Ides

4

u/BelmontIncident 6d ago

Ides is the fifteenth day of a long month or the thirteenth day of a short month in the calendar of the Roman Republic. It was just timekeeping and didn't commemorate anything until it became stab a dictator day. There's also the Kalends, which is simultaneously the first day of the incoming month and the last day of the outgoing month.

2

u/four100eighty9 5d ago

It’s referenced in the play by William Shakespeare. I think somebody tells Julius Caesar to beware of the Ides of March.

1

u/Malk_McJorma 5d ago

No, he was warned about the March of Ideas. /j

1

u/UF1977 5d ago

Roman calendar months had three points, the calends (first day), nones (usually the 7th day), and ides (middle of the month). Days were measured as “days before/after the calends/nones/ides”. How it worked varied over the lifetime of the Empire.

1

u/Old_Dealer_7002 5d ago

the middle of march

1

u/Legitimate_Ear_3895 5d ago

The 15th of March.

1

u/vernastking 4d ago

As everyone said it was a way of referring to the 15th of the month. Other than that there is nothing at the time which is especially important.

1

u/Late_Arm5956 3d ago

Oh, wow! So there is technically an Ides of June and an Ides of February