March 15 is the Ides of March in the Roman calendar. While the term ides refers to the 15th day of any month, The Ides of March is known as the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. The ominous warning "Beware the Ides of March" became famous through William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. You can experience all the intrigue of this time period through works of fiction like Robert Harris's Conspirata: a novel of ancient Rome, or nonfiction, like Jeffery Tatum's Always I am Caesar. For a visual retelling of this story, you can check out the HBO series Rome, and experience this time period through the eyes of both the patrician class and the proletariat.
