Monday, August 1, 2011

Biogapher* (for Biographer*)

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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