The Games - Ludi Florales

From April 28 - May 3, the ancient Romans celebrated the Roman festival known as the Floralia, in honor of the Roman goddess Flora.
The ancient holiday was celebrated by the set of games and theatrical presentations known as the Ludi Florales.

The Floralia was one of the Roman celebrations that had multiple days of dramatic events followed by one of circus entertainment. When the ludi Florales were written into the Roman calendar, in 173 B.C., there were 2 days of drama and one of circus performances. Between 173 and the imperial period, two more days of dramatic entertainment were added, according to Lily Ross Taylor. The year when the ludi Florales officially became annual was about 70 years after the dedication of Flora's temple, which was accompanied by dramatic events (also known as scenic games). This dedication was said to have been at the order of the Sibylline Books. It took place in 240 or 238 B.C., according to Inez Gertrude Scott, who says that the Floralia must have been superimposed on an old Italic cult because Floralia had its own flamen and primitive ritual -- the scattering of beans and lupines. Scott adds another odd detail: that hares and goats were released into the circus.

The scenic events at the Floralia are described as mimes. As distinct from literary mimes, these weren't written down -- a fact that limits what can be written about them. They were lewd and included naked women. Masks were not part of the costumes, so, because of the shame attached to the immodest conduct of the actors, respectable Romans could not take part.

References and Suggested Reading:

• "Associations of Actors in Rome"
  E. J. Jory
  Hermes, Vol. 98, No. 2 (1970), pp. 224-253
• "Evidence from Early Roman Religion concerning the Growth of the City"
  Inez Gertrude Scott
  Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 60 (1929), pp. 221-228
• "Hellenizing the Romans (2nd Century B.C.)"
  Ramsay MacMullen
  Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Vol. 40, No. 4 (1991), pp. 419-438
• "The Opportunities for Dramatic Performances in the Time of Plautus and Terence"
  Lily Ross Taylor
  Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 68 (1937), pp. 284-304
• "Satyrs in Rome? The Background to Horace's Ars Poetica"
  T. P. Wiseman
  The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 78 (1988), pp. 1-13

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Full Article: Floralia - Ludi Florales

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