Who Added the Month of January to the Calendar?

The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, is the person added the month of January to the calendar. Earlier, only ten months were observed in the Roman republican calendar and winter was regarded as a month-less period. However, in 713 BC, Numa Pompilius added the month of January to the calendar.

After adding January at the beginning of the calendar, Numa Pompilius also added February at the end of the calendar. We have shared further information about who added the month of January to the calendar and its significance here.

Who Added the Month of January to the Calendar?

The person who added the month of January to the calendar was the Roman emperor, Numa Pompilius. This king is known for his significant religious and political contributions to Rome, such as the Roman Republican calendar and the Vestal Virgins. Besides adding the month of January to the calendar, King Numa also introduced February to the Roman calendar.

The Roman calendar was in a confusing state when King Numa Pompilius reformed it. Every new year in the calendar was based on the moon cycles and was 355 days long. It was later reformed again by the Roman dictator, Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC.

About Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius was the second king of Rome, who reigned from 715–672 BC. King Numa was best known for his wisdom and he made several political as well as religious contributions to Rome. One such contribution was the reform of the Roman Republican calendar. King Numa is the person who added the month of January to the calendar.

Moreover, after adding January to the beginning of the calendar, King Numa also added February as the last month of the calendar. So, overall, he is responsible for reforming the 10-month Roman calendar into the 12-month calendar.

Facts about King Numa - The Person who added January to the Calendar

King Numa is best known as the person who added the month of January to the calendar but he made other significant contributions to Rome, such as follows -

• Constructing the temple of the Roman God Janus, indicative of peace and war.
• He introduced the cult of Terminus, the cult of Jupiter, and the cult of Mars.
• He also authored many books believed to be sacred.
• Numa is known as the agent of the Gods and is believed to have constrained two Roman Gods, Picus and Faunus, to deliver prophecies.

Roman Republican Calendar

Before King Numa, the person who added the month of January to the calendar, reformed the Roman calendar, it was in a confusing state. The Roman Republic calendar was first instituted in around 738 BC. It is believed that the founder of Rome, Romulus, established the calendar. However, this dating system was not entirely reliable as it was essentially based on the Greek lunar calendar.

The pre-Numa calendar relied heavily on the cycles and phases of the moon and was many days short of the solar calendar. Here are more details about the structure of the Roman calendar before January was added to the calendar -

• Initially, the Roman calendar only consisted of 10 months. According to this calendar, the total days in a year were 304 days.
• Since the calendar was short by 61 and a quarter days, the calendar had a gap during the winters and winters were considered a month-less period.
• The name of the months of the Roman calendar was Martius (March), Aprilis (April), Maius (May), Junius (June), Quintilis (July), Sextilis (August), September, October, November, and December
• Eventually, the person who added the month of January to the calendar, Numa Pompilius, increased the calendar to 355 days.
• He also added the month of February at the end of the calendar and created the 12-month calendar year as we know it.
• Finally, in 452 BC, the month of February was moved between the months of January and March.

Significance of January Month in the Roman Calendar

The Roman King Numa, who added the month of January to the calendar is credited for reforming the Roman Republic calendar and making it more comprehensive. Before January was added to the calendar, the Roman calendar only had 304 days distributed between 10 months.

The winter was believed to be a month-less period. However, King Numa added the months of January and February to the Roman calendar. January was added as the first month of the new calendar, because the term “January” is named after the Roman God of beginnings, Janus. On the other hand, February was added as the last month of the year.

Here is more about the significance of adding the month of January to the calendar -

• After King Numa added the months of January and February to the calendar, the calendar year became 355 days long.
• This was closer to the solar calendar cycle and the extra period of 10 and a quarter days was fulfilled by an occasional extra month.
• However, the calendar year was still not perfect and was to remain so until the 1st century BC, when Julius Caesar became the ruler and transformed the new dating system of the Julian calendar.

FAQs on Who Added the Month of January to the Calendar?

Q1. Who Added the Month of January to the Calendar?

The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, added the month of January to the calendar in 713 BC. Prior to this, the Roman Republican calendar only had 10 months in the calendar. Numa Pompilius is also credited with adding February at the end of the calendar, and January right at the beginning of the calendar.

Q2. When were January and February added to the calendar?

January and February were added to the calendar in 713 BC by the Roman King, Numa Pompilius. Before this, winter was a monthless period in the calendar. King Numa added January to the beginning of the calendar and February as the last month of the calendar.

Q3. Why was January added to the calendar?

The month of January was named after Janus, who is known as the Roman God of beginnings. Therefore, King Numa Pompilius added the month of January towards the beginning of the Roman Republican calendar. Before that, the first month of the calendar used to be March.

Q4. Who announced January 1st New Year’s Day?

The Roman dictator, Julius Caesar is credited for announcing January 1st New Year’s Day. On 1st January in 45 BC, the world’s first New Year’s Day was celebrated. Julius Caesar also transformed the traditional Roman calendar into Julian calendar.