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Augustus of Prima Porta (discovered on April 20, 1863, in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome; actually, you can see this 2.04m high marble statue at Vatican Museums - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_of_Prima_Porta), perhaps the most famous sculpture of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43047/Augustus).
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August was originally named Sextilis, because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar. When Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar in 45 BC gave it almost its modern length (30 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honor of Augustus. According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt.The new calendar was called Gregorian, or New Style (N.S.), calendar. It was adopted by Roman Catholic countries (1582), but Protestant and Eastern Orthodox countries long continued to use the Old Style (O.S.), or Julian calendar, but August remained! (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/42820/August) |
