The El Hunter contest is usually a conflict-free space, however, in the last few hours a small controversy has broken out on social networks because of this RTVE program. In one of the last installments of the program, presented by Rodrigo Vázquez, a question related to the Roman Empire was asked. This question opened a debate on social networks when an account specialized in the time wanted to refute the contest.
"According to the history of calendars, why did August become 31 days like July, in the Roman Empire? By the will of Julius Caesar, it was a wish of Augustus or ordered by Septimius Severus," said the question in question. The contestant who was participating at that time, Javier, "had no idea," but finally marked the second answer. "It may be Caesar's will because Julius may be named after Julius Caesar," said the participant, before checking the first option.
The mystery was later resolved in favor of the hunter. "The calendar has undergone a lot of changes and Julius Caesar made one of the most important and, in fact, it was called the Julian calendar for centuries. It was very similar to the current one. Julius was dedicated to his great-nephew, but Octavius Augustus had a lot ego and must have thought that his uncle's month couldn't have 31 days and the one dedicated to him less. So he raised August to 31 days and took it away from February, which then had 29 days, except for leap days," it was explained in the program.
Everything seemed to stay there, however, later a controversy broke out on social networks, when a user tried to correct the program. The X account, formerly Twitter, 'Antigua Roma al Día', warned that a mistake was being made in the response. This is a profile specialized in Ancient Rome, administered by Néstor F. Marqués.
"I'm afraid that the player gave the correct answer and you told him that he was successful. Furthermore, the Hunter later gave a fictitious explanation that arose (at least) in the 13th century. This must be fixed," the specialist began by saying. . As the Internet user explained, it was not even Augustus who dedicated a month to Julius Caesar, but rather it was the Lex antonia de mense sextili, at the proposal of Mark Antony.
"It was the Julian reform that gave August its 31 days. That is, it was Julius Caesar who did it through the mathematician Sosigenes of Alexandria," the man revealed. Despite the clarification, the Twitter account has perfectly understood the error made in the program. "Anyone has it, and more so in a topic as complex as the Roman calendar. However, it is important to correct it to prevent hoaxes like this from spreading and, especially, because the player has given the correct answer and you have told him that he has failed." , he declared.
The matter did not stop there, since it was Erundino himself who later spoke out and shared a text from a UNED Ancient History professor that supported his version. Even so, he did not convince Marquis. "It is normal that, even in academia, details like this are sneaked in. When a primary source such as the Fasti Antiates Maiores refutes this issue, that is above any comment from a current author. Furthermore, in this case we have identified the originator of the hoax: Juan de Sacrobosco", he then stated.
