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8/13/2019 Lanciani Ludi

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PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN ROME (NY 1892) Rudolfo Lancan! "! #$%1&'

T A*a D+, + P*o,*"na. On the 20th of September, 1890, the workmen employed

in the construction of the main sewer on the left bank of the Tiber, between the onte

S. !n"elo and the church of S. #io$anni dei %iorentini, found a mediae$al wall, built ofmaterials collected at random from the nei"hborin" ruins. !mon" them were fra"ments

of one or more inscriptions which described the celebrations of theLudi Saecularesunder

the &mpire. 'y the end of the day, se$enteen pieces had been reco$ered, se$en of which

belon"ed to the records of the "ames celebrated under !u"ustus, in the year 1( '.)., theothers to those celebrated under Septimius Se$erus and )aracalla, in the year 20* !.+.

ater researches led to the disco$ery of ninety-si other fra"ments, makin" a total of one

hundred and thirteen, of which ei"ht are of the time of !u"ustus, two of the time of+omitian, and the rest date from Se$erus.

The fra"ments of the year 1( '.)., fitted to"ether, make p(*a block three metres hi"h,

containin" one hundred and sity-ei"ht minutely inscribed lines. This monument, now

ehibited in the 'aths of +iocletian, was in the form of a s/uare pillar enclosed by aproectin" frame, with base and capital of the Tuscan order, and it measured, when entire,

four metres in hei"ht. belie$e that there is no inscription amon" the thirty thousand

collected in $olume $i. of the )orpus which makes a more profound impression on themind, or appeals more to the ima"ination than this official report of a state ceremony

which took place o$er nineteen hundred years a"o, and was attended by the most

illustrious men of the a"e. [[This inscription is of such exceptional interest that it is

given, as edited by Mommsen,at the close of this volume. ]]

The ori"in of the saecular "ames seems to be this3 n the early days of 4ome the

northwest section of the )ampus 5artius,borderin" on the Tiber, was conspicuous for

traces of $olcanic acti$ity. There was a pool here called Tarentum or Terentum, fed byhot sulphur sprin"s, the efficiency of which is attested by the cure of 6olesus, the Sabine,

and his family, described by 6alerius 5aimus. 7ea$y $apors hun" o$er the sprin"s, andton"ues of flame were seen issuin" from the cracks of the earth. The locality became

known by the name of the fiery field campus i"nifer, and its relationship with theinfernal realms was soon an established fact in folk-lore. !n altar to the infernal "ods was

erected on the borders of the pool, and "ames were held periodically in honor of +is and

roserpina, the $ictims bein" a black bull and a black cow. Tradition attributed thisarran"ement of time and ceremony to 6olesus himself, who, "rateful for the reco$ery of

his three children, offered sacrifices to +is and roserpina, spread lectisternia, or

reclinin" couches, for the "ods, with tables and $iands before them, and celebrated "amesfor three ni"hts, one for each child which had been restored to health. n the

p(:republican epoch they were called udi Tarentini, from the name of the pool, and

were celebrated for the purpose of a$ertin" from the state the recurrence of some "reatcalamity by which it had been afflicted. These calamities bein" contin"encies which no

man could foresee, it is e$ident that the celebration of the udi Tarentini was in no way

connected with definite cycles of time, such as the saeculum.

;ot lon" after !u"ustus had assumed the supreme power, the


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tried to pro$e that the festi$al had been held re"ularly at inter$als of 110 years, whichwas supposed to be the len"th of a saeculum. The "ames of which the


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Section of the altar of +is and roserpina.

The drawin"s which illustrate my account

of the disco$ery12pro$e that the altar rose

from a platform Atwel$e feet s/uare,approached on all sides by three or four

marble steps, that platform and altar wereenclosed by three lines of wall at an inter$al

of Athirty-si feet from one another, andthat on the east side of the s/uare ran a

euripus, or channel, Aele$en feet wide, and

four feet deep, lined with stone blocks, theincline of which towards the Tiber is about

13100. This last detail pro$es that when the

rou"h altar of 6olesus Sabinus wassucceeded by the later noble structure, the

pool was drained, and its feedin" sprin"s

p(8were led into the euripus, so that thepatients seekin" a cure for their ailments could bathe in or drink the miracle-workin"

waters with "reater ease. ;o attention whate$er was paid to the disco$ery at the time it

took place. nstead of reachin" the ancient le$el, the eca$ation for the main sewer of the

)orso 6ittorio &manuele was stopped at the wron" place, within A three feet of thepa$ementB conse/uently whate$er fra"ments of the altar, of inscriptions, or of works of

art, were lyin" on the marble floor will lie there fore$er, as the buildin" of palaces on

either side of the )orso, and construction of the )orso itself, with its costly sewers,sidewalks, etc., ha$e made further research impossible, at least with our present means.

)oncernin" the celebration which took place around this altar in the year 1( '.)., we

already possessed ample information from such materials as the oracle of the Sibyl,referred to by Cosimus, the )armen Saeculare of 7orace, and the le"ends and desi"ns onthe medals struck for the occasionB but the official report, disco$ered September 20,

1890, produces an alto"ether different impressionB it enables us actually to take part in

the pa"eant, to follow with rapture 7orace as he leads a chorus of fifty-four youn" menand "irls of patrician birth, sin"in" the hymn which he composed for the occasion.1D

[[the official report, discovered September 20, 1890: Thayer's ote! "t can also be found

offsite. Those temperamentally indisposed to follo# Lanciani's rather romantic account

of the Ludi Saeculares #ill also find an appendix giving a straightfor#ard summaryoutline of them.]]

There is such a tone of simplicity and common-sense, such a display of method and

mutual respect between !u"ustus, the Senate, and the


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The official report be"ins, or rather be"an the first lines are missin", with the re/uestpresented by the


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The celebration in the strict sense of the word be"an at the second hour of the ni"ht of5ay D1. Sacrifices were offered to the %ates, on altars erected between the Tarentum and

the banks of the Tiber, where S. #io$anni dei %iorentini now standsB and the other

ceremonies were performed on a wooden sta"e which was illuminated by li"hts and fires.This temporary theatre was not pro$ided with seats, and the report calls it a sta"e

without a theatre. n the performances of the net day and in those of Fune 2 and D,

which took place on the )apitol and the alatine, the followin" order was obser$ed in theceremonial pa"eantB first came !u"ustus as &mperor and ontife 5aimus, net the

)onsuls, the Senate, the


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T7& G+ S!&)G!4&S5ay-Fune, 1( '.).

%ontes "uris &omani nte(ustiniani, J*0.

.

!. d. K k. un. in saeptis Lulis ...... scribundo adfuerunt ........MN

!emilius epLidMus, .)estius, . etronius 4ufus L . . . MN

mp. )aesareMN !u"usto et 5. !L"ripMpa tribunicia potestate futuros,

/uos L/uod spectare /uam plurimos con$enitMN propter relLi"ioneMm at/uLeM etiam /uodtali spectaculo Lnemo iterum intererit, permittendum $ideri.... uMNN dorum eoLruMm

LdiebuMs /ui nondum sunt maritati, sinLe fraude sua ut adsint, /uid de ea re fieriplaceret, de ea re ita censuerunt, et /uoniam ludi ieiMN reli"ionis causa sunLt

inMstituti ne/ue ultra /uam semel ulli morLtalium eos spectare licet, . . . ludosMN /uos

LmMa"istri K$$irum sacris faciundis LedMent, sine fraude sua spectare liceatieis /ui le"e de maritaLndis tenenturM.

.

&odem die ibidem scribundo LidMem adfuerunt et senatusconsultum factum esLtM.N


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a.d. K k. 5art. senatLus decre$it,MN Luti ludi tum edendi propter sacMrificium saecularelocarentur in ea $erba, /Luae infra scripta sunt3 M

L- - -M

6.

L!.d. K k. 5art in curia Mulia. Scribundo adfuerunt 5. unius 5.f. SiLlanusM,N . . . Mrinus, ). !sinius )n. f. Lollio . . .MN L . . . M

)orpus "nscriptionum Latinarum6. D2D2D "LS:0:03

. . .

90 ;octe inse/uente in campo ad TibLerim deis 5oeris imp )aesar !u"ustus immola$ita"nas feminas KMN prodi"i$as !chi$o ritu sodem/L$e ritu capras feminas K, precatus/ue

est hoc modo3MN Mo*a u+ 3o4, n ll, l4*5, ,c*"+u. ,+ 6ua*u. **u. *7o6uod6u .lu, ,+ "! R! /u*+4u, 3o4, IIII: a7n, f.n, + I; ca"*,

f.5n, ,ac*u. fa+< 3o, 6ua,o "*co*6u u+ ."*u. .a,+a+.6u "! R!:


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/u*+u. dull do.6u au5=+, u+6u ,."* La+nu. no.n +ua.n

ncolu.+a+. ,."+*%: (9>) na. 3c+o*a. 3al+udn5. "o"ulo Ro.ano

/u*+4u, +*4ua+, fa3a+,6u "! R! /u*+u. l7on4u,6u "! R!: /u*+u.

*.6u "! "o"ul R5o.an /u*+u. ,al3a. ,*3+, u+ ,+, 3oln+, "*5o"+a

"o"ulo Ro.ano: /u*+4u, ;33*u. coll75o . do.o fa.la + u+ uu,

,ac*fc acc"+*c, ,+, IIII a7na*u.: f.na*u. + IIII ca"*a*u5. f.na*u.

"*o"*a*u. n.olanda*u.? a*u. **u. *7o .ac+ ac a7na f.na: n.olanda

,+o+ f+o+ 35oln+, "*o"+a "! R! /u*+4u, ;3*u. coll7o . do.o

fa.la!

100 udi/ue noctu, sacrificio LcoMnfecto, sunt commissi in scaena /uoi theatrum

adiectum non fuit nullis positisN sedilibus, centum/ue et K LmMatronae, /uibus

denuntiatum erat K6$irorum $erbis, sellisternia habueruntN unoni et +ianae duabLusM

sellis positis.N

10D . un. in )apitolio bo$em mLaMrem o$i Optimo 5aimo proprium immola$it

mp. )aesar !u"ustus, ibidemN alterum 5. !"rippa, precati autem sunt ita3N 10:

Iu""+* o"+. .a=. u+5 +4 n ll, l4*, ,c*"+u. ,+ 6ua*u.6u **u.

5*7o 6uod6u .lu, ,+ "o"ulo R!: /u*+4u, +4 oc 4o35 .a* ulc*o

,ac*u. fa+< + 6ua,o "*co*6u? c+*5a u+ ,u"*a!:

10( !d atallam fuerunt )LaeMsar, !"rippa, Scae$ola, Sentius, ollius !siniuLs #Mallus,

4ebilus.N

108 +einde ludi atini in theLaMtro li"neo, /uod erat constitutum in campo sLecuMndum

Tiberim sunt commissi,N eodem/ue modo sellistLeMrnia matres familiae habuerunt, ne/ue

sunt lLudi iMntermissi iei /ui noctu coepti erantN fieriB et edictum proposiLtMum3

K6$ir. s.f. dic.3

111 )um bono more et proindLe cMelebrato fre/uentibus esemplis, /uandocum/LueiMusta laetitiae publicae caussa fuit,N minui luctus matronaLrMum placuerit, id/ue tam

sollenium sacroruLm lMudorum/ue tempore referriN dili"enter/ue opser$aLrMi pertinere

$ideatur et ad hononem deorum et ad LmMemoriam cultus eorum3 statuimusN offici nostri

esse per edictum denuntiare feminis, uti luctum minuant.N

11: ;octu autem ad Tiberim sLaMcrificium fecit deis LMlithyis libeis 6, popanLisM

6, pthoibus 6, mp. )aesarN !u"ustusB precatus est LhMoc modo3N Il@+a u+ +4

n ll5, l4*, ,c*"+u. ,+ 6ua*u.6u **u. 5*7o 6uod6u .lu, ,+ "! R!

/u*+4u5,: +4 IIII "o"an, + I5III l4, + IIII "+o4u, ,ac*u. fa+? +

6ua5,o "*co*6u? c+* u+ ,u"*a!:

119 6 ;onas un. in )apitoliLo iMmmola$it unoni re"inae bo$em feminLam mp.

)aesar !u"ustus, ibidem alteramMN 5. !"rippa, et precatus esLtM hoc modo3N Iuno *7na

u+ +4 n ll, 5l4*, ,c*"+u. ,+ 6ua*u.6u **u. 5*7o 6uod6u .lu, ,+ "!

R! /u*+4u,: +4 4o3 f.na "ulc*a ,5ac*u. fa+< + 6ua,o "*co*6u5? c+*a

u+ ,u"*a!:

12D +einde )K matribus familLiaMs nuptis, /uibus denuLntiatum erat . . ., 5. !"rippa> MNpraeit in haec $erba3N Iuno *7na a,+ 6ud ,+ 6u5od .l5u, ,+ "! R! /u*+4u, ! ! !.a+*, fa.la: nu"+a 7n4u, n=a + u5+ % % % : .a,+a+.6u "! R! /u*+5u.


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dull do.6u au=, u+6u ,."* La+nu. no.n +ua* ncolu.+a+.:

,."+*na. 3c+o*a. 53al+udn. "o"ulo Ro.ano /u*+4u, +*4ua, fa3a,6u

"o"ulo Ro.ano /u*+4u, l7on4u,6u "! R!: /u*+u. *.6u "u4l5ca. "! R!

/u*+u. ,al3a. ,*3, u+ ,, 3oln, "*o"+a "o"ulo Ro.ano: /u*+4u, ;33*!

,!f! no54, ! ! ! ! Hac .a+*, fa.la, C; "o"ul Ro.an: /u*+u. nu"+a

7n54u, n=a 6ua,u.u, "*ca.u*6u!:

1D2 !d atallam fuerunt 5. !L"rippa - - - MN1DD udi ut pridie facti sunt L - - - MN

1D* ;octu autem ad Tiberim Lsuem plenam . . . . Terrae matri immola$it mpMN )aesar

!u"ustus, precatLus/ue est hoc modo3MN1D? T**a .a+* u+ +4 n ll5, l4*, ,c*"+u. ,+ 6ua*u.6u **u. *7o

6uod6u .lu, ,+ "! R! /u*+4u,: u+ +4 ,u "lna "*o"*5a ! ! ! ! ! ,ac*u. fa+

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