Why 46 B.C. Is the Longest Recorded Year in History — And the Vaguest!
By: Hossein Raspberry
Tags: History, Life, Politics, Science, Culture

Why 46 B.C. Is the Longest Recorded Year in History — And the Vaguest!

“The last year of confusion” that led to the calendar we use to this date.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

If by longest “year” we consider the yearly calendar of the time, the longest one would be the last year of the Roman Republic’s calendar. Julius Caesar, priest and brilliant politician of Rome, extended the year 46 B.C. to 445 days. But why?

The brief answer

Different societies have chosen one of three types of calendars throughout history:

Lunar which is is based on the orbit of the moon, Solar, this is based on the orbit of our planet around the sun, Or a combination of the two.

However, 2000 years ago these calendars used to require intercalation of extra days into the year in order to maintain the calendar up to date with the solar year.

These intercalations were added in by people in power. This made them subject to abuse.

The Julian calendar which was used in the Roman world and most parts of Europe needed many days of intercalations to reform its ancient calendar. That’s why the year 46 B.C. is the longest recorded year in history:

“The Julian calendar was created in 46 B.C. out of a chaotic calendar. Over the two centuries leading up to 46 B.C., the calendar had come seriously out of alignment, and was roughly 80 days out.” “Times of crisis, wars, and political squabbling had meant that people had either forgotten to add, or intentionally left out, the intercalary month and religious holidays. The intercalary month was a month inserted between February and March every few years, to bring the 355 day calendar in line with the cycle of seasons.” — The history of Caesar’s calendar

The origin of the problem explained:

Lunar calendars are based on the movement and phases of the Moon around the Earth, with a new Moon occurring every 29.5 days. The lunar calendar is 354 days.

In comparison, solar calendars mark time through the movement of the Earth around the Sun and the seasons, that is 365 days. That’s why the difference in 11 days in the lunar year is compensated with an extra month that is inserted into the calendar every three years. This helps to realign the lunar calendar with the solar scheme.

2000 years ago, the calendar was not a universal measure of time, but it was more like a schedule to inform people about religious festivals.

“The ordinary year in the previous Roman calendar consisted of 10 months. In addition, a 27- or 28-day intercalary month, the Mensis Intercalaris, was sometimes inserted between February and March.” “This intercalary month was formed by inserting 22 or 23 days after the first 23 days of February; the last five days of February, which counted down toward the start of March, became the last five days of Intercalaris. The net effect was to add 22 or 23 days to the year, forming an intercalary year of 377 or 378 days.” — Wikipedia

The Roman calendar was a combination of lunar and ancient calendars, and that was a mess. The priests of Rome were manipulating the calendar to adjust the dates matching with the occurring natural seasons.

The “fix” was done by adding days to February every second year. But, the “fix” was not always consistent and that did not really adjust the calendar. That’s why the Roman Calendar was always falling significantly behind, and harvest festivals were not falling at harvest time.

Caesar, the man who wished to control the stars