What Were the Ludi Scaenici that the Romans Performed? (original) (raw)
List of the Roman Ludi Scaenici
The Ludi That Included Theatrical Performances
The Circus reimagined. Heritage Images/Contributor/Getty Images
Updated on March 18, 2020
The ludi scaenici were the Roman games with a theatrical component. Like the circus games (_ludi_=games), which started earlier, the ludi scaenici were essentially religious festivals with entertainment.
The Punic Wars, the Greeks, and Roman Drama
While the Romans may have had songs, dance, farce, or other musical entertainment at the early games, the performance of actual Roman plays started after contact was made with the Greeks during the 1st Punic War (264-241 B.C.). They were performed the year following the conclusion of that war. The first playwright of Rome was the 3rd century Livius Andronicus.
| Name of the Ludi | God Honored | Month Celebrated | Magistrate in Charge | Length of Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ludi Romani | Jupiter Optimus Maximus | September | Curule Aediles | (Source: Frank Bernstein, Ludi publici: Untersuchungen zur Entstehung und Entwicklung der öffentlichen Spiele im republikanischen Rom. Historia Einzelschrift 119. HistoriaEinzelschriften 119. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998.) |
| September 5-19, starting 509 or 507 B.C. (There would not have been anything resembling dramatic performances so early.) | ||||
| Ludi Plebeii | Jupiter | November | Plebeian Aedile | (Source: Frank Berndstein, Ludi publici, Stuttgart 1998) |
| November 4-17, starting c. 220 B.C. | ||||
| Ludi Apollinares | Apollo | July | City Praetor | (Source: Frank Berndstein, Ludi publici, Stuttgart 1998) |
| July 6-13, starting 208 B.C. | ||||
| Ludi Megalenses | Magna Mater [Cybele] | April | Curule Aediles | (Source: Frank Berndstein, Ludi publici, Stuttgart 1998) |
| April 4-10, starting 191 B.C. See Megalesia for more on these dates. | ||||
| Ludi Ceriales (Cerealia) | Ceres | April | Plebeian Aedile | (Source: Frank Berndstein, Ludi publici, Stuttgart 1998) |
| April 12-19, starting 220 or 219 (other information sources say by 202/201.) |
For references, see Ludi Florales. Another excellent resource is by Marianne McDonald and J. Michael Walton. Cambridge University Press, 2007.