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Fun fact about the Roman calendar
Mar. 15th, 2021 06:42 pmThe Romans were batshit. No, I mean that quite seriously. We say "March 15th", but as everybody knows, the Romans said "The Ides of March". Fair enough, the Ides were always either 15th or the 13th, the Nones were always the 7th or 5th, and the Kalends were always the first of the month.
Now, we'd also refer to the day before the Ides as March 14th, but to the Romans it was "pridie" the Ides, that is, the day before the Ides. And the day before that, what we'd say is the 13th, was... three days before the Ides. And that's how they counted days. Backwards, and inclusive of the day counted.
(The 17th, if you're curious, is XVI days before the Kalends of April. Even though it's not. Batshit, I tell you.)
Now, we'd also refer to the day before the Ides as March 14th, but to the Romans it was "pridie" the Ides, that is, the day before the Ides. And the day before that, what we'd say is the 13th, was... three days before the Ides. And that's how they counted days. Backwards, and inclusive of the day counted.
(The 17th, if you're curious, is XVI days before the Kalends of April. Even though it's not. Batshit, I tell you.)
