Ludi Appolinares

Everything related to the ludi circenses and its teams or workings, including games or contests in the Societas Via Romana. Bring on the fun!

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Ludi Appolinares

Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sun Jul 06, 2003 4:59 pm

Salvete sodales,

Today marks the beginning of the ludi Appolinares. This date has not been chosen randomly. In ancient Rome, too, the ludi Appolinares started at around this date and lasted about a week.

For a historical contextualisation, I'm happy to quote our good friend Piscinus on this, with his usual expertise:

During a very critical period in the Second Punic War, Romans recalled the Carmina Marciana. In 213 BCE praetor M Aemilius Lepidus had first received these prophecies of Marcius, or as some said from two Marcius brothers. There were two prophecies. The first, discovered too late, had foretold the disaster of Cannae, which lent the second prophecy greater credence. The second prophecy read:

Romans, if you wish to drive out the enemy from your land, the plague that came from faraway lands, I bid you vow to Apollo annual games which will be celebrated for him joyfully; the people shall bear part of the cost from public funds, but private men shall contribute for themselves and their families. In charge of the conduct of the games shall be the praetor who is chief judge for the people and the common; the decemviri shall perform the sacrifices ritu Graecae. If you perform all this properly, you shall ever rejoice and your power shall be dominant. For the god who shall extinguish your wars shall be the one who in peace cultivates your fields."

In 212 the Senate instructed the decemviri to consult with the Sibylline Oracles on how to properly conduct rites to Apollo. They decreed that sacrifices to Apollo should be made ritu Graecae of an ox with gilded horns and of two she-goats with gilded horns (possibly for Apollo's sister Diana), and that a heifer with gilded horns should be sacrificed to Apollo's mother Latona. Following a day of prayer and sacrifices, the Ludi Apollinares began with two days in the Circus Maximus (ludi circenses) followed by two days of theatrical displays (ludi scaenici).

The year 212 was a dark time for Rome. Not only were they still fighting Hannibal in Italia itself, a new war was underway with Phillip of Macedonia, Marcellus was besieging Syracusa, and both Scipio brothers, Gnaeus and Publius, had been slain in Spain while their armies were driven back to the Ebro. But in the year following the first performance of the ludi Apollinares Rome's fortunes began to change. In 211 Hannibal was stopped at the very gates of Rome, Capua surrendered to Rome, Marcellus took Syracusa, a new Greek alliance joined with Rome against Phillip of Macedonia, and a new army under P. Cornelius Scipio was sent to Spain. This was the year that the tide turned against Carthage. It was not until 208 BCE, however, that the Ludi Apollinares became an annual event, "vowed and kept to secure victory, not health, as most think."


Sources:

Livy Ab Urbs Condita 25.12.2-15
Macrobius Saturnalia 1.16.29
Cicero On Divination 1.89


So what will we be doing this week? Here is the program!

Of course, these are not the first ludi in SVR and hopefully they won't be the last. However this time the aediles have aimed at something larger, something beyond the circenses but still modest enough.

Since Apollo was the patron God of arts, we found it fitting that in his honour, a small contest would be held in which reviews of books, movies, plays or whatever artistical that relates to Antiquity can be sent in and will be judged by both a panel (Tarquinius, Curio, Mus) and the public (at this point I might note that the outcome has been relatively poor so far, so please consider participating!).

Of course, the ludi circenses will be present as well, as expected. There is one newcomer among the fourteen chariots and the races will be tighter than ever!

Third, there will be two chat sessions to give everyone the chance to join us and chat, where things didn't go as smoothly last time because the scheduled times didn't correspond (I hope they are correct this time ;)).

So here is the full programme:

July 6: ludi opening
July 7: ludi circenses quarters
July 8: first chat session (21h CET, 16h US eastcoast, 18h US westcoast)
July 9: ludi circenses semis
July 10: closing of contest
July 11: ludi circenses finals
July 12: announcement of contest winner
July 13: ludi closing, second chat session (same times)

Valete bene!
Gn. Dionysius Draco
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July 8 Chat time

Postby C.AeliusEricius on Sun Jul 06, 2003 5:56 pm

I believe this;
July 8: first chat session (21h CET, 16h US eastcoast, 18h US westcoast)
Should actually have the US Pacific coast time as "13h" for July 8.

But I could be wrong. =({[;-)

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Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sun Jul 06, 2003 8:10 pm

Yes, you're right mi Erici. Error on my part. :-s

*sigh*

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