Mercedonius

Mercedonius was a month in the ancient Roman calendar. Also known as Intercalaris, it was an intercalary month of 27 days added in leap years. It consisted of 22 days inserted after the 23rd or 24th day of Februarius to which the last five days of Februarius were added. Romans believed that the month had been added to the Roman calendar (along with Januarius and Februarius) by King Numa Pompilius in the 7th century BC.

Related Topics:
Roman calendar - Intercalary month - Leap year - Februarius - Januarius - Numa Pompilius - 7th century BC

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This month was supposed to be inserted every two years to realign Numa's 355 day calendar with the seasons. The average year thus created was 366 1/4 days (over one day longer than the tropical year) and the pontifices often forgot to insert the month at the proper time or deliberately inserted it early or late to allow some officials to stay in office longer or force others out early.

Related Topics:
Seasons - Tropical year - Pontifices

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The month was eliminated by Julius Caesar when he introduced the Julian calendar in 46 BC. The name Mercedonius comes from merces meaning "wages" as workers were paid at that time of year.

Related Topics:
Julius Caesar - Julian calendar - 46 BC

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