July, or Mensis Julius , was formerly called Mensis Quintilis , or the fifth month. But wait! Isn’t July the seventh month? Well, it wasn’t always. Initially, there were 10 months, with most of the winter left off the calendar. Sometime before 100 BCE, however, it was decided that January and February would mark the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, this messed up the numberingfor every month after June.
Later, around 60 BCE, Julius Caesar and his army took control of Rome. In 46 BCE, Caesar commanded that the calendar be revised. From 45 BCE, Romans began adding leap yearsto their calendar. That calendar system, used until 1582, became known as the Julian calendar. What’s more, Caesar’s birth month, Mensis Quintilis , was renamed Mensis Julius in honor of him. That happened in 44 BCE, the same year Caesar was murdered in the Roman Senate.
In ancient Rome, July was associated with Jupiter, the king of the Olympians. The most important festival in the month was the Ludi Apollinares , games held for Apollo. For over a week in July, Romans enjoyed sporting competitions, horse racing, and public theater. As the Roman Empire grew, July also became associated with rituals to honor the emperor and his ancestors, especially Julius Caesar.
以羅馬將軍尤利烏斯‧凱撒（凱撒大帝）命名的仲夏月份
July，或是 Mensis Julius，從前稱為 Mensis Quintilis，或是第五個月。疑，等等！July 不是就是第七個月嗎？嗯，也不是一直都這樣。本來只有十個月，冬季大多數時候都不在曆法上。但就在西元前一百年的某個時候，人們決定將 January 和 February 作為一年的開始。很遺憾地，此舉弄亂了六月以後每個月的編序。
後來，在西元前 60 年左右，尤利烏斯‧凱撒及其軍隊控制了羅馬。在西元前 46 年，凱撒下令修改曆法。從西元前 45 年起，羅馬人開始在曆法中加入了「閏年」的概念。而那曆法體制一直被延用至 1582 年，被人熟知為「儒略曆」。更有意思的是，凱撒的出生月份 Mensis Quintilis 被更名為 Mensis Julius 以用來紀念他。這件事就發生在西元前 44 年，即凱撒在羅馬元老院被謀殺的那一年。
在古羅馬，七月與奧林匹亞眾神之王朱庇特（編按：為古羅馬神話中的眾神之王，相當於古希臘神話的宙斯）有關聯性。本月最重要的節日是 Ludi Apollinares，此時會為阿波羅（編按：為羅馬神話中的太陽神，同時也是希臘神話中的光明之神、文藝之神，其希臘名與羅馬名相同）舉辦各種比賽。在這七月的一個多禮拜的期間，羅馬人享受體育賽事、賽馬和大眾劇院這些樂趣。隨著羅馬帝國的壯大，七月也開始與一些用來對皇帝及其先祖表示敬意的儀式產生關聯，尤其是對凱撒大帝。
