Jussi Rantala, The Ludi Saeculares of Septimius Severus: The Ideologies of a New Roman Empire, Londres, 2017.
Éditeur : Routledge
220 pages
ISBN : 9781138290143
95 £
This is the first monograph to examine in detail the Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games) of Septimius Severus and argues that the games represented a radical shift from Antonine imperial ideology. To garner popular support and to legitimise his power, Severus conducted an intensive propaganda campaign, but how did he use the ludi to strengthen his power, and what were the messages he conveyed through them? The central theme is ritual, and the idea of ritual as a process that builds collective identity. The games symbolised the new Severan political and social vision and they embodied the idea of Roman identity and the image of Roman society which the emperor wished to promote. The programme of the games was recorded in a stone inscription and this text is analysed in detail, translated into English and contextualised in the socio-political aims of Septimius Severus.
1. Introduction
The Task
The Evidence
The Inscription
Severan Literature
Numismatic Evidence
Severus, the Ludi and the Studies
The Ludi Saeculares
The Severan period
2. From the Antonine Era to the Severan Dynasty
3. Organising the Ludi Saeculares
Towards the New Era
Funding the Festivals
Purifying the Holy Grounds
4. The Opening Night and Day
The Rituals of the First Night
A Quest for a Happy Destiny
The Witness of the Vestals
Pacifying the Gods
Rites of the Opening Day: The God and his Servant
The Father(s) of Rome
Divine Severus?
5. Day Two: Women take the Stage
The Second Night: A Prelude?
The Second Day: Celebrating Juno
Mother(s) of the Golden Age
Imperial Concordia
The Vestals stand Still
Honouring the New Age
6. The Third Night and Day: The Empire of the Sun and the Moon
A Night of Abundance
The Goddess of Cultivation
Food and Imperial Paternalism
Guardians of Storage
The Third Day: Final Sacrifices
Apollo, the God of many Roles
Diana, the Goddess of many Roles
Written in the Stars
7. Closing Acts: The Carmen Saeculare and the Trojan Games
A Hymn for the Golden Age
The Severan Poem and its Performers
The New Leaders of the Commonwealth
Cities, Shores, and Golden Fields
Blessings for the Army
The Trojan Games
8. Conclusion
Appendix 1: The Inscription commemorating Septimius Severus' Ludi Saeculares
Appendix 2: Records of the Severan Ludi Saeculares
Appendix 3: The Rituals of the Ludi Saeculares of CE 204
Appendix 4: The History of the Ludi Saeculares
Source : Routledge
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