The month of August was named for the first Roman emperor. Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus (there's a mouthful), he was later named Gaius Julius Caesar after his uncle. To keep things confusing, he was granted the honourific "The Revered One" and became Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus.The Emperor Augustus was a handsome man, described by the biographer (not biogapher, a moderate probability typo) Suetonius as follows: "He had clear, bright eyes...His teeth were wide apart, small, and ill-kept; his hair was slightly curly and inclining to golden." Aside from the backhanded teeth comment, Augustus sounds like the perfect inspiration for a summer month with those golden highlights. One can almost picture him running down the beach in a scene from Baywatch: Greece.
More about the naming of our 8th month can be found in our August entry from 2009.
(Photo of a statue of Augustus from Wikimedia Commons)
Leanne Olson
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