| 词汇 | august |
| 词源 | August; Augustan age. Augustus Caesar stole a day from February to give August 31 days—simply because he did not want July, named after his great uncle and adopted father, to be longer than his own name-month. History is made up of such petty jealousies, but Augustus and Julius Caesar really got along very well; there is no evidence of any generation gap. Born Gaius Octavianus, his mother the daughter of Julius Caesar’s sister, Augustus was eventually chosen by the Roman ruler as his heir, adopting the name Caesar. Octavius, as he was commonly known, was only 19 at the time of his uncle’s assassination in 44 b.c. On returning to Rome from Spain, he found that Caesar had secretly adopted him and willed him all his property. It was then that he changed his name and em- barked on a celebrated military career that included the con- quest of Egypt. In 29 b.c., already immensely popular among the people, he was chosen first emperor of Rome, and two years later the Senate bestowed upon him the title Augustus, or “imperial majesty.” Finally, what was the sixth month of the year (Sextillus) was renamed “Augustus” in his honor—com- plete with an extra day at his insistence. August wasn’t chosen because it was his birth month (September), but because it happened to be his “lucky” month of the year—the one in which he first became a consul, reduced Egypt, put an end to civil wars, received the oath of allegiance from his legions at Janiculum, and scored his greatest military triumphs. Octavius Augustus ruled wisely until his death at the age of 75, his reign marked by great progress and a flowering of literature that is today known as the Augustan age. |
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