The Ides of March
Mar 15th, 2009 by Ealeal
Who hasn’t been creeped out at least a little by the ominous call, “Beware the Ides of March”? While there is nothing particularly creepy about today, March 15th in the Roman calendar – originally dubbed Idus Martias in Latin – signified a festive hoopla in honor of the Roman god Mars, with a glorious military parade usually held in celebration. However, thanks to Shakespeare and his flare for the dramatics, this date has become widely accepted as the assassination date of Julius Caesar back in 44 BC. Originally a date adorned with a full moon, the Romans considered this a day favored by fortune.
Disappointingly for Julius Caesar, fortune was not up his alley on that fateful day which led up to his death at the Theatre of Pompey on this date, by the hands of the Liberatores. At the very least, we have both Julius and Shakespeare to thank for some very famous last words left to linger in history and popular culture – “You too, Brutus?”
Learn more about the Roman empire with this history tidbit from WatchMojo.
