Salvete
Quirites!
I
HEREBY OPEN THE LUDI ROMANI!
This
Ludi will be going on from the 5th to the 19th of September
and it is the biggest and most important Ludi in Nova
Roma during the whole year. By tradition it is the Curule
Aedile who have responsibility to organize these Ludi.
As
my Colleauge the Junior Curule Aedile Amulius Claudius
Petrus has disappeared, I will be the only Curule Aedile
to be in charge of these games. I have invited the Censores
and Consules to judge the LRCA
which is in accord with the tradition of giving the
highest magistrates a important role during these games.
Senatrix
et Sacerdos Minervalis Illustra Patricia Cassi will
be responsible for organizing the Religiuous
Celebrations during the first day, which is today
the 5th of September!
Below
follows a short historic description of the Ludi Romani,
which form the background of the Nova Roman version
of the Ludi.
The
Ludi will present the following events:
1)
Religiuous Celebration of Jupiter - September 5
2) The Sibillian Oracle - September 7
3) Ludi Romani Cultural Award - September 9
4) A presentation of the project "Herculaneum"-
September 11
5) Ludi Romani Music Concert - September 13
6) Theatre: "A satyrical novel by Phaedrus"
- September 15
7) Ludi Circenses - III edition - September 17
8) The Closing of the Ludi Romani September 19
To follow the program of the Ludi Romani go to
http://italia.novaroma.org/cohorsaedilis/ludi/index.htm
The
Ludi Romani (The Roman Games), also known as the Ludi
Magni (The Great Games) was arguably the major religious
festival of the Romans, although it would appear that,
as time went on, the religious elements were largely
overshadowed by the various competitions. These games
were originally held on September 13, in honour of the
Romans' patron god Jupiter Optimus Maximus, whose temple
was dedicated on the 13th in 509 or 507 B.C. (depending
on which source you believe). Over time, the festival
was expanded up to the fifth of the month and down
to the ninteenth, making for over a half-a-month's worth
of festivities. After Julius Caesar's assassination,
another day was added (September 4) as one of the many
honours decreed to him. For most of the period of the
Republic, the Ludi Romani were the responsibility of
the Curule Aediles; later Augustus would transfer their
organization to the praetor.
The
Opening Procession
We
are fortunate that Dionysius of Halicarnassus decided
to use the Ludi Romani as an exemplum to demonstrate
that the Romans weren't actually barbarians, but put
on festivals 'just like the Greeks'. As part of this
demonstration, he describes in great detail the opening
procession (7.72 ff):
The
Sacrificial Ritual
Dionysius
also relates the sacrificial ritual. The Consuls presided
over the ritual and the attendant priests would ritually
wash their hands, then purify the oxen with clean water.
The priests also sprinkled the oxen with mola salsa,
which was a sort of loose (possibly very loose) cake
made from spelt which had been gathered and roasted
by the Vestal Virgins (this was a standard feature of
most sacrifices at Rome). Attendants were then ordered
to carry out the sacrifice, which was done by holding
knives beneath the throats of the animals, then thumping
them on the temple, which caused them to fall on the
knives and be slain [note in passing: this strikes me
as having the same impetus as throwing criminals from
the Tarpeian rock; in effect, the victim kills themself,
thus absolving the sacrificer/executioner from blood
guilt]. The animals were then butchered and a piece
from the 'inward parts' and from each limb was 'seasoned'
with mola salsa and carried in special baskets by the
priests to the altar, where it was put on fire and wine
poured over them while it was burning. This, of course,
was the gods' share, the smoke from which provided them
with their means of survival (and maintained the pax
deorum). The remainder was cut up and presumably distributed
amongst the participants present.
The
Ludi Scaenici
From at least 240 B.C./B.C.E. on, ludi scaenici (theatrical
competitions) were an integral part of the Ludi Romani.
In that year, Livius Andronicus was commissioned by
the Aediles to translate scenes from Greek comedy and
tragedy into different metres and perform them. In the
following years, it would appear that a 'Greek style'
theatrical competition evolved; the participation of
actors as well as folks dressed as satyrs might suggest
that some of the dramas might have been more ribald
than a Greek like Dionysius of Halicarnassus would have
liked. By the time we reach the empire, the performances
appear to have been largely confined to mime and especially
pantomime (the latter being somewhat akin to a modern
ballet, with the participants generally having notorious,
Nureyev/Isadora Duncan-like reputations).
The
Ludi Circenses
Despite
the stereotypical image of Rome's national sport being
feeding assorted malcontents to the lions, the only
sport which really could lay claim to being 'the national
sport' was chariot
racing. Given that the procession of the Ludi Romani
went to the Circus Maximus, with its capacity of possibly
150,000, it's not surprising that Ludi Circenses, a.k.a.
chariot racing, formed a large part of the festivities.
Outside of the thrill of the races themselves the Circus
Maximus was also one of the very few venues where seating
was not segregated according to sex, and if we believe
the poet Ovid, it was a great place to meet and rub
shoulders (literally) with future spouses and persons
one intended to have a less permanent relationship with.
The
other attraction with chariot-racing was gambling. Although
the magistrates would have paid for horses, chariots,
and drivers for the Ludi Romani, the horses and drivers
were still identified by their 'stables' (the Blues,
the Greens, the Reds, the Whites -- the latter two possibly
being a late Republic development) and the fans were
pathologically loyal to their favourite stable (to the
extent that they might even bury lead 'curse tablets'
to ensure their favourite
would win).
Dionysius
relates that the first race was a sort of mixed thing,
with a race between chariots with differing numbers
of horses and equipment. We also hear of races in which
there were two people in the chariot, and upon crossing
the finishing line, one would jump out and run another
lap. There were probably numerous other variations as
magistrates tried to make their particular games memorable.
Between
races (the number on the 'card' seems to vary), there
were often other amusements: jugglers, acrobats, etc.
the sort of thing we associate with 'circuses' like
Cirque de Soleil). The races at the Ludi Romani seem
to have been followed by assorted athletic events, such
as boxing, wrestling, and footracing. It also seems
likely that the so-called Lusus Troiae, a sort of precision
equestrian drill put on by the iuvenes (generally the
sons of the rich and famous) was part of these festivities.
This ancient version of the "Musical Ride"
(a little Canadian content there) supposedly had Etruscan
origins and was 'revived' by Augustus.
September
13
As
mentioned previously, the festival was originally held
on September 13 to commemorate the dedication of the
temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (509 or 507 B.C.).
As might be expected, even though the festival expanded
in length in both directions, this was the 'high point'
of the whole thing and by the late Republic, there were
a number of feasts (epuli) to honour Jupiter and/or
assorted divinities closely associated with him (they
are somewhat confusing). The earliest such epulum, which
possibly dates from 509 B.C., if not earlier, seems
to be the epulum Iovi which only involved senatorial
types. Later we hear of an epulum Iovi, Iunoni, Minervae
(i.e. the Capitoline triad) and one in honour of Minerva
alone. By the turn of the second century A.D., however,
these (and other) epulones required major organization
(presumably because more people were allowed to take
part in some of them) and so in 196 B.C. we hear of
a college of
three epulones -- three special magistrates -- whose
sole task was to organize such banquets. By the end
of the Republic,ten such magistrates were needed.
Returning
to the epulum Iovis, it was, as mentioned, confined
to senatorial types. It began with a sacrifice, and
for the feast that followed, images of Jupiter, Juno
and Minerva were set on a couch, dressed up as if they
were actually participating in the feast (Jupiter reclined
on a couch; Juno and Minerva sat on 'chairs', as proper
Roman matrons would have done).
Down
to the third century or so, we hear of another ritual
being associated with this day (and probably incorporated
into the festival). It was on this day when the Praetor
maximus (later, one of the Consuls) would drive a nail
into the wall of the temple of Jupiter. Supposedly this
was originally done to avert plague, but it evolved
into an important annual ritual -- so important that,
if there wasn't a magistrate of sufficient rank to perform
the ceremony a 'Dictator for the hammering of the nail"
might be appointed for the task. Later historians would
claim to be able to count the nails and so decide when
the Republic began.
The
Probatio Equitum
In
calendars from the Imperial period we read that on September
14, there was an 'inspection of the cavalry'. During
the time of the Republic, this regularly had occurred
on July 15; it had fallen into desuetude by the time
of Sulla and was revived under Augustus. If the probatio
equitum on September 14 was anything like the Republican
version, the equites (i.e. those who were granted a
state-supplied horse) would parade from the Temple of
Mars (outside the walls), pass through various parts
of the city, the Forum, past the Temple of Castor and
Pollux, and possibly finishing at the Temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus. They would pause at the Temple of Castor
and Pollus and
be formally approved by the Censors (in the Republic)
or the emperor (in the empire). The horsemen wore their
'dress uniforms', as if coming home victorious from
battle: wearing olive branches on their heads and purple
robes with scarlet stripes (the trabea). They'd also
wear whatever 'medals' they had won in battle. During
the empire such parades had political overtones, insofar
as this was one venue where their official status as
an eques was confirmed in a very public way.
(from
http://web.idirect.com/~atrium/thisday/features/ludiromani.html)
May
Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the Gods and Goddesses of Roma
continue to protect the Res
Publica!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I thank my Cohors Aedilis for the work they have done
and still are doing for me as the Senior Curule Aedile.
Valete
Caeso
Fabius Quintilianus
Senator et Senior Curule Aedile
Propraetor Thules
AUCTOR LEGIONIS, Legio VII "Res Publica"
Sodalitas Egressus Praefectus Provincia Thules
"Fautor Societatis Iuventutis Romanae"
