28 BC
A calendar year in the late Roman Republic marked by the consulship of Octavian and Agrippa, occurring on the eve of the establishment of the Roman Empire and complicated by early Julian calendar dating.
28 BC is a year that falls at a pivotal moment in Mediterranean history. In Roman terms it was identified by the two consuls who held office that year, and it sits immediately before the reforms that would be ratified in 27 BC and mark the beginning of the Roman Empire. Surviving records about events in many regions are fragmentary, so historians reconstruct the year's significance by combining political, administrative and chronological evidence.
Roman politics and the consulship
The most prominent fact preserved about 28 BC is that Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa served as consuls. Consular dating was the standard way Romans named years, so official documents and inscriptions refer to the "Year of the First Consulship of Octavian and Agrippa." Octavian was then consolidating power after the civil wars; Agrippa was his close lieutenant and an accomplished general and administrator whose partnership with Octavian shaped Rome's transition from republican institutions toward a centralized imperial governance.
Calendar and dating issues
Sources disagree about how 28 BC maps to the Julian calendar: some reckon it a common year beginning on Saturday (Saturday start), Sunday (Sunday start) or Monday (Monday start), while others list it as a leap year beginning on Saturday (leap year, Saturday) or Sunday (leap year, Sunday). This ambiguity arises from early errors in applying leap-year rules to the newly introduced Julian calendar, which led to irregular counts until the system was corrected in the reign of Augustus.
- Consuls: Octavian and Agrippa (principal magistrates for the year).
- Chronology: Named by consular year rather than by regnal or Anno Domini systems.
- Calendar note: Early Julian leap-year misapplications create modern uncertainties about weekday starts.
Beyond Rome, contemporary polities such as the Western Han dynasty in China and various eastern kingdoms followed their own chronologies. In China the Han imperial line continued under emperors whose reigns overlap our year counts, while client kings and local dynasts in the Near East adjusted to Rome's rising influence. Surviving material for many regions is sparse, so broad statements about 28 BC must be generalized.
Historically, 28 BC is best seen as part of the immediate lead-up to the constitutional settlement of 27 BC when Octavian's position was formally regularized. The year is therefore useful to students of Roman political transformation and to historians tracing how ancient calendrical practices affect modern dating of old events.
Questions and answers
Q: In what year did the First Consulship of Octavian and Agrippa take place?
A: The First Consulship of Octavian and Agrippa took place in the year 28 BC.
Q: Was 28 BC a leap year?
A: Yes, 28 BC was either a common year starting on Saturday, Sunday or Monday OR a leap year starting on Saturday or Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Q: What is the Julian calendar?
A: The Julian calendar is a calendar system developed by Julius Caesar and used in the Roman Empire.
Q: What is a common year?
A: A common year is a year in which there is no extra day added for the purpose of keeping the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year.
Q: Who were Octavian and Agrippa?
A: Octavian, also known as Augustus, was the first Roman emperor and Agrippa was his trusted adviser and general.
Q: What is the significance of the year 28 BC in Roman history?
A: It was the year of the First Consulship of Octavian and Agrippa, marking an important moment in Roman history as Octavian solidified his power and began the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.
Q: What day of the week did 28 BC begin on?
A: It is uncertain whether 28 BC began on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday, as it could have been a leap year which would have affected the starting day.
Author
AlegsaOnline.com 28 BC Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/133865