answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

On the earliest calendar of ancient Rome, from about 752 BC to about 713 BC, March was the first month of the calendar year; the calendar had ten months:

  • Martius
  • Aprilus
  • Maius
  • Iunius
  • Quintilis (from quinque, meaning five)
  • Sextilis (from sex, meaning six)
  • September (from septem, meaning seven)
  • October (from octo, meaning eight)
  • November (from novem, meaning nine)
  • December (from decem, meaning ten)

They then had 61 days of winter, which did not belong to any month.

In 713 BC, Numa Pompilius reformed the calendar and added Ianuarius and Februarius as the first and second months, giving rise to the confused naming scheme that has persisted until today. The origin of the name Ianuarius is uncertain. The name Februarius comes from februa, the purification ritual observed by the Romans at that time of the year.

In 44 BC, the month of Quintilis was renamed Iulius in honor of Julius Caesar, following his assassination. In 8 BC, the month of Sextilis was renamed Augustus, in honor of Caesar Augustus. Several emperors named months after themselves after that, but none of the names lasted beyond their deaths. None of those name changes had anything to do with October becoming the tenth month, as that had happened over 600 years earlier.

User Avatar

Wiki User

8y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

October was originally the 8th month, hence "Octo", which means eight.

The first month of the year used to be March. However Two more months were added in front of March, which were January and February, because the old calendar did not sync well with the seasons of Earth. Therefore the 8th month was pushed down to the 10th.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

For the same reason September is the 9th, November is the 11th, and December is the 12th.

The Romans seem to have regarded winter as not really deserving of a month, and they just kind of skipped it. Their year started with Martius (March) and ended with December... the days between December and Martius weren't part of any month.

Later, this seemed about as stupid to them as it does to us, so they added two new months, but several of the months whose names were related to their position in the calender shifted to being off by two at that point.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

Some places at some times considered the beginning of the year to be in March. Around the middle of the 2nd millennium, countries using the Julian calendar eventually all switched to the January 1 standard for New Year's Day.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

Basically because Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus inserted months named after themselves.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why is October not the eighth month?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Were does the name October come from?

The name of the month October comes from the Latin for 'eighth', because in the old Roman calender October was the eighth month of the year.


Is October the eighth month?

no its the 10


How did the month October get its name?

The Name October came from Octavian Caesar and the Latin root "octo" meaning eighth in the roman calender it was the eighth month .


October was named after what or who?

Actually, October used to be the eighth month of the Roman ten month calendar.


Is october the eighth month of the year in any country?

Not any more, but it was the eighth month in the Old Roman calendar.


What was October named?

October comes from the Latin words for "Eighth Month"


Who was October named after?

The month of October is not named after anyone. October got its name because it was the eighth month in the Roman calendar.


Why isn't October the eighth month?

October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. October is the eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name (from the Latin "octo" meaning "eight") after July and August, after Julius and Augustus Caesar respectively, when the calendar was originally created by the Romans.


How did the month of October get named?

Until the addition of the months of January and August, October was the eighth month. Oct is a prefix meaning 8.


What does the number 8 have to do with October?

October was the eighth month in the ancient calendar which started in Spring (March).


What are the months between July and October?

July is the seventh month of the year, while October is the tenth month of the year. The months between July and October are August, the eighth month, and September, the ninth month.


Where did October get its name from?

eighth month in the original roman calendar (which began in march). December was the tenth month.