In the Roman Empire of the 4th century, the ''Ludi Triumphales'' ("Triumphal Games") were games ''( ludi)'' held annually September 18–22 to commemorate the victory of Constantine over Licinius at

Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...

in 324. No description of these games has survived, but they are significant in the historical transformation of Roman religious and state institutions under the Christian emperors, an era inaugurated by the conversion of Constantine. Forty-eight circus races ''(

ludi circenses ''Ludi'' ( Latin plural) were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people (''populus Romanus''). ''Ludi'' were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also ...

)'' are recorded for September 18, which was also celebrated as the birthday ''( dies natalis)'' of the emperor Trajan.

On the calendar

The first day of the ''Ludi Triumphales''—chosen in 335 for Constantine's elevation of his nephew as

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

—coincided on the Roman calendar with the conclusion of the '' Ludi Romani'' ("Roman Games"), votive games for

Jupiter Optimus Maximus The Capitoline Triad was a group of three deities who were worshipped in ancient Roman religion in an elaborate temple on Rome's Capitoline Hill (Latin ''Capitolium''). It comprised Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The triad held a central place in th ...

("Jupiter Best and Greatest"). The Roman Games were the oldest games instituted by the Romans, dating from 509 BC, and took up about half the month, running September 5–19 on the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

. Typically, the last day of victory games would mark the date of the actual victory, which in the case of Chalcedon was September 18. A five-day program of games would have placed the opening day of the ''Ludi Triumphales'' on September 13, the

Ides Ides or IDES may refer to: Calendar dates * Ides (calendar), a day in the Roman calendar that fell roughly in the middle of the month. In March, May, July, and October it was the 15th day of the month; in other months it was the 13th. **Ides of Mar ...

, a religiously fraught day that Constantine presumably wished to avoid. The Ides of September occurred in the middle of the Roman Games, when a major banquet for Jupiter had been held since Rome's archaic period. In the earliest period of Roman history, a nail-driving ritual in the Temple of Jupiter marked the passing of the political year, with the consuls at that time taking office on the Ides. The Byzantine antiquarian Johannes Lydus noted that this was one of three Roman new years: the priestly year began in January, the national in

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

, and the political cycle in September, which was also the beginning of the Imperial Roman tax year. The nail-driving ceremony occurred on the anniversary ''( dies natalis)'' of the temple, in a sacred space ''( templum)'' devoted to Minerva, on the right side of the shrine ''(

aedes ''Aedes'' is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except perhaps Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: '' Aedes albopictus'', a particularly invasive sp ...

)'' of Jupiter.

Victory games

The ''Ludi Triumphales'' are one of nine imperial military victories recorded on the

Calendar of Filocalus The ''Chronograph of 354'' (or "Chronography"), also known as the ''Calendar of 354'', is a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrato ...

(354 AD). Eight of these are connected to the Constantinian dynasty, since the celebration of victory games is usually confined to the dynasty. The ''Triumphales'' began with the unusually high number of circus races on the opening day of September 18.Salzman, ''On Roman Time'', pp. 137–138.

References

{{Roman religion (festival) Ancient Roman festivals Victory September observances

On the calendar

Victory games

See also

References