system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why did Ancient Rome use a solar calendar instead of a lunar one?

Lunar calendars seem like they make more sense from an ancient standpoint, in that the phases of the moon are a natural indicator of the passing of time. Solar seems to make much less sense in that the months have inconsistent days and don't really track to anything external.

So I'm curious if Rome always used a solar calendar, or if there's a lunar one that predates the Julian calendar. If the latter, what motivated the switch from lunar to solar?
gpt
Solar calendars are better at tracking seasons. People in regions that get the 4 standard seasons tended to develop solar calendars. People close to the equator who tend to get wet/dry seasons instead tended to make lunar calendars. Some cultures made both, and the Maya had very complex calendars that were lunar and solar as well as calculating things are longer cycles of a few years, dozen years, centuries, and thousand years.