The first day of each month the Romans called its Kalends (announcement
day). After that day they called each day so many before the Nones (half
moon), then so many before the Ides (full moon), then so many to the
Kalends of the next month. Julius Caesar, impatient with the difficulties
of fitting together the solar and lunar calendars, bade his experts ignore
the moon and divide the solar year into twelve months. They did, and his
calendar, with trifling improvements, has lasted till our days. The Romans
continued to reckon days before the Nones, Ides and Kalends. The Nones
fell on the seventh of March, May, July and October, on the fifth of the
other months; the Ides on the fifteenth of March, May, July and October
and on the thirteenth of the rest.
D. THE LEGION
The legion, always the largest fighting unit of the Roman armies,
corresponded most nearly to our regiment, but had also features of our
brigade. It was always rostered as of 6,000 men, all told. But the causes
which operate in all armies brought it about that a legion in the field
had usually about 5,000 men. It was divided into sixty bodies resembling
our companies, called centuries, because nominally of 100 men, each
commanded by a centurion.
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