Stuck at what was perhaps the most turbulent time in Roman history, this coin witnessed what is known as the longest year in history! Before Caesar, the Roman calendar was, like the modern Jewish calendar, based on the moon. As a Lunar calendar, the priests were forced to continually adjust their 10 months to account for the lunar phases. Their year actually only had 304 days. As a result, the old calendar ran slightly behind the actual solar seasons. So dramatic was this disconnect, that by the time Caesar rose to power, the traditional Roman harvest festivals were not actually celebrated during the harvest! Therefore, Caesar worked with astronomers to create a new solar calendar, using the now standard 365 days.

Caesar declared a transitional year of 445 days and 15 months, bringing the old lunar calendar in line with the more exact solar calendar. This "last year of confusion" would then give way to the standard 12 month calendar that we know today!