Hey there. Thanks very much for your lovely comments. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have a few others you might like! :D
I didn't really understand your point about the calendar. This is set before the Julian reforms, so the calendar is out of line with the seasons - that's what Cicero is referring to. Could you tell me more?
You're exactly right! The Julian calendar IS out of line with reality, something Julius used to his advantage in his war against Pompey when he crossed the Adriatic. This move suprised the Pompeians as this embarkation was done supposedly in January, where the seas would be rougher. Of course, the calendar was off (for some reason) and it was actually more like late fall when the crossing occured. Ceasar used his knowledge of the out of line calendar to do something reasonable to him (sailing in the fall), but outlandish to his enemies (sailing in the winter). Once again, Julius uses every scrap of detail as an oppurtunity, winning him both triumph and accolades until he got too close to the sun.
Except this story is more or less a fabrication. r/askhistorians notes that there really is no primary source other than the fact that the crossing was a suprise and the official date was off. You could put two to two together and come up with this story based on these details alone, but of course people back then were just as keen as we are now. Farmers and sailors wouldn't just risk their livelyhoods and/or lives just because the date said so. Cicero himself sent a letter about this (if I remember correctly), so it wasn't exactly secret.
Possible? Yes. Likely? I'll leave that for you to decide.
I'm not a historian by any means either, but it makes sense for me for such a story to come about. At least it's not as egregious as Chinese history, but I find that myths lend a unique flavor to truth.
It's a snow day tomorrow, so I can procrastinate exams for a little longer. I think I will oblige us both and read what else you have! I do so warily though, history tends to repeat itself and given current events, I fear I'll be wishing for snow in the fall.
Hi Jan. I was just a bit confused, because the story doesn't really mention the crossing of the Adriatic except in the most general terms. The difference between the calendar and the seasons would certainly have been obvious to everyone, I agree. The calendar was off because, as Cicero says, the periodic intercalary month hadn't been inserted for a while. Caesar had to add in three months in 46 to make it right.
I have studied this period in some depth and I do like the situation in each story to be as credible as possible - within reason for historical fiction. This one's based on Cicero's letter to Atticus on 29th March 49, as you probably know.
I hope you've been enjoying the snow and some more reading!
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AKrey177 Thu 13 Feb 2025 06:58PM UTC
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jan Fukumachi (Guest) Fri 14 Feb 2025 02:29AM UTC
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AKrey177 Fri 14 Feb 2025 06:49PM UTC
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