Ides of March
The Roman calendar counted days backward from three fixed points rather than forward from the first of the month. The Ides marked the 15th day in March, May, July, and October, while other months featured the 13th as their Ides. Originally this date reflected the full moon, anchoring the lunar-based structure of early Roman timekeeping. Martius served as the first month of the year until the mid-second century BC, a fact preserved in the names September through December. These numerical titles once indicated positions seven through ten within the original calendar order. As the calendar evolved, the Ides accumulated functions like debt payments and rent due dates that occurred every single month.
Jupiter remained the supreme deity to whom the Ides of each month were sacred throughout Roman history. The Flamen Dialis led the Ides sheep procession along the Via Sacra to the Capitolium for sacrifice. Common people celebrated the Feast of Anna Perenna with picnics, drinking, and revelry on this specific day. One late antiquity source places the Mamuralia ritual on the Ides of March alongside other traditions. This observance involved beating an old man dressed in animal skins and possibly driving him out of the city limits. Ancient scholars suggest this scapegoat ritual represented the expulsion of the old year during new-year festivals.
The later Imperial period saw the Ides begin a holy week celebrating Cybele and Attis across the empire. On the 13th of March, Romans marked the day as Reeds Enter when Attis was born among Phrygian river reeds. Shepherds or the goddess Cybele discovered the infant according to varying narratives from ancient texts. A college of priests known as tree bearers cut down a pine tree annually to carry to their temple. They hung an image of Attis from the wood while chanting lamentations during formal ceremonies. Claudius formalized these rites into the official calendar around 54 AD following earlier informal practices.
Julius Caesar died at a Senate meeting on the 15th of March 44 BC after being stabbed by conspirators. As many as 60 men participated in the plot led by Brutus and Cassius against the dictator. Plutarch records that a seer warned Caesar harm would come on the Ides of March before the event. The dictator passed the seer on his way to the Theatre of Pompey where he would be killed. He joked that the prophecy had not been fulfilled since the Ides had arrived. The seer replied that they were come but not yet gone according to historical accounts. Suetonius identifies the soothsayer as a haruspex named Spurinna who delivered this warning.
Caesar's death triggered civil wars that ended with Octavian rising to sole power over Rome. His adopted heir became emperor Augustus in 27 BC, terminating the Roman Republic entirely. Ovid portrayed the murder as sacrilege since Caesar served as pontifex maximus and priest of Vesta. On the fourth anniversary of Caesar's death in 40 BC, Octavian executed 300 senators and equites. These executions occurred under Lucius Antonius during the siege of Perugia following military victories. Suetonius and Cassius Dio characterized the slaughter as a religious sacrifice at the new altar to deified Julius.
William Shakespeare dramatized the assassination scene when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to beware the Ides of March. Plutarch provided biographical details about the event that influenced later literary interpretations of the date. Modern media adaptations include a 1948 novel by Thornton Wilder titled The Ides of March. A 2005 song by Silverstein and a 2008 novel by Valerio Massimo Manfredi also bear the name. George Clooney directed a 2011 film adaptation exploring political intrigue under the same title. Iron Maiden released a song called The Ides of March in 1981 while Myles Kennedy issued an album with that name in 2021.
Common questions
What day of the month is the Ides of March in the Roman calendar?
The Ides of March falls on the 15th day of the month. This date originally reflected the full moon within the lunar-based structure of early Roman timekeeping.
Who led the Ides sheep procession to the Capitolium for sacrifice?
The Flamen Dialis led the Ides sheep procession along the Via Sacra to the Capitolium for sacrifice. Jupiter remained the supreme deity to whom the Ides of each month were sacred throughout Roman history.
When did Julius Caesar die at a Senate meeting after being stabbed by conspirators?
Julius Caesar died at a Senate meeting on the 15th of March 44 BC after being stabbed by conspirators. As many as 60 men participated in the plot led by Brutus and Cassius against the dictator.
Which ancient scholar identified the soothsayer who warned Caesar about the Ides of March?
Suetonius identifies the soothsayer as a haruspex named Spurinna who delivered this warning. Plutarch records that a seer warned Caesar harm would come on the Ides of March before the event.
What year did Octavian become emperor Augustus terminating the Roman Republic entirely?
His adopted heir became emperor Augustus in 27 BC, terminating the Roman Republic entirely. Caesar's death triggered civil wars that ended with Octavian rising to sole power over Rome.
All sources
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- 10webWilliam Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene IIJalic, Inc — 2010
- 11webWilliam Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene IJalic, Inc — 2010
- 12inlineSuetonius, Life of Augustus 15.
- 13inlineCassius Dio 48.14.2.