Numa reckoned the variation to consist of eleven days, as the lunar year
contains three hundred and fifty-four days, and the solar year three
hundred and sixty-five. He doubled these eleven days and introduced them
every other year, after February, as an intercalary month, twenty-two
days in duration, which was called by the Romans Mercedinus. This was a
remedy for the irregularities of the calendar which itself required more
extensive remedies.
He also altered the order of the months, putting March, which used to be
the first month, third, and making January the first, which in the time
of Romulus had been the eleventh, and February the second, which then
had been the twelfth. There are many writers who say that these months,
January and February, were added to the calendar by Numa, and that
originally there had only been ten months in the year, just as some
barbarians have three, and in Greece the Arcadians have four, and the
Acarnanians six. The Egyptians originally had but one month in their
year, and afterwards are said to have divided it into four mouths;
wherefore, though they live in the newest of all countries, they appear
to be the most ancient of all nations, and in their genealogies reckon
an incredible number of years, because they count their months as years.
XIX. One proof that the Romans used to reckon ten months and not twelve
in the year is the name of the last month; for up to the present day it
is called _December_, the tenth, and the order of the months shows that
March was the first, for the fifth month from it they called
_Quintilis_, the fifth; and the sixth month Sextilis, and so on for the
others, although, by their putting January and February before March, it
resulted that the month which they number fifth is really seventh in
order.
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