The Plebeian Games (Latin ''Ludi Plebeii'') were an

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

religious festival A religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on recurring cycles in a calendar year or lunar calendar. The science of religious rites and festivals is kno ...

held November 4–17. The games ''(

ludi ''Ludi'' (Latin:games; plural of "ludus") 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 festiv ...

)'' included both theatrical performances ''(

ludi scaenici The architectural form of theatre in Rome has been linked to later, more well-known examples from the 1st century BC to the 3rd Century AD. The theatre of ancient Rome referred to a period of time in which theatrical practice and performance took ...

)'' and athletic competitions for the purpose of entertaining the common people of Rome.

History

The Plebeian Games may have been celebrated among the common people without an official place on the religious calendar until plebeians rose to positions of highest prominence;

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, at least, thought they were Rome's oldest ''ludi''. They are known to have been held each year from 220 onward, but may have been much older. It may be most accurate to say the ''Ludi Plebeii'' were first established as a public festival in 220 BC. Because the proceedings of the Plebeian Games strikingly resemble those of the ''Ludi Romani'' ("Roman Games"), T.P. Wiseman has suggested that they were created by the ''plebs'' as an assertion of their own identity, perhaps as early as the 5th or 4th century BC.

Purpose

The ''Ludi Plebeii'' were presented by the

plebeian aedile Aedile ( , , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public orde ...

s and celebrated plebeian political liberty, but tradition varied as to freedom from what: either the tyranny of the Tarquins in the

Regal period The Roman Kingdom, also known as the Roman monarchy and the regal period of ancient Rome, was the earliest period of Roman history when the city and its territory were ruled by kings. According to tradition, the Roman Kingdom began with the c ...

, or the dominance of the

patricians The patricians (from ) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders (494 BC to 287 B ...

, the hereditary ruling class of early

Republican Rome The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of classical Roman civilisation beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire following the War o ...

(see "

Conflict of the Orders The Conflict of the Orders or the Struggle of the Orders was a political struggle between the plebeians (commoners) and patricians (aristocrats) of the ancient Roman Republic lasting from 500 BC to 287 BC in which the plebeians sought political ...

").

Timing and location

According to one ancient source, the games were held in the

Circus Flaminius The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area in ancient Rome, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius near the Tiber River. It contained a small race-track used for obscure games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was "bu ...

, which was associated with the common people of Rome ''(

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

)''.P.J. Davis, "Games," in ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome'' (Oxford University Press, 2010), p. 266. Nearly all other games were held in the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...

. The Circus Flaminius was built by the

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

censor Gaius Flaminius in 220 BC, and the annual games may have been instituted by him that year. During the festival, a feast of Jupiter ''(Epulum Iovis)'' was held November 13, a cavalry parade November 14, and circus games ''(

ludi circenses ''Ludi'' (Latin:games; plural of "ludus") 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 festiva ...

'', mainly

chariot races Chariot racing (, ''harmatodromía''; ) was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games from a very early time. With the institution of for ...

) November 15–17. The siting of the games at the Circus Flaminius may thus be an error, since the Circus Flaminius had no track for chariot racing.Wiseman, ''Remus'', p. 211. A

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

similar to that of the ''Ludi Romani'' is likely also to have been part of the festivities.

Miscellanea

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus ( ; 254 – 184 BC) was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by Livius Andro ...

first presented his comedy ''

Stichus ''Stichus'' is a comedic Latin play by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. According to a notice transmitted with the play, ''Stichus'' was first performed in 200 BC. The same notice informs us that it was adapted from the play '' ...

'' at the Plebeian Games of 200 BC.

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

notes that the ''ludi'' had to be repeated three times in 216 BC, owing to a '' vitium'' (ritual fault) that disrupted the correct performance of events.

References

{{Roman religion (festival) Ancient Roman games festivals November observances 3rd-century BC establishments

History

Purpose

Timing and location

Miscellanea

See also

References