Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

LUDI CAPITOLINI. LUDI FUNEBRES. 715
LUDI APOLLINA'RES were instituted at mean that they were to be patricians. (Liv. v. 50,
Rome during the second Punic war, four years after 52.) These priests were called Capitolini. (Cic.
the battle of Cannae (B. c. 212), at the command of ad Quint. Frat. ii. 5.) One of the amusements at
an oracle contained in the books of the ancient the Capitoline games, a solemnity which was obseer Marcius (carninia Mcc3rciana, Liv. xxv. 12; served as late as the time of Plutarch, was that a
Macrob. Sat. i. ] 7). It was stated by some of the herald offered the Sardiani for public sale, and
ancient annalists that these ludi were instituted for that some old man was led about, who, in order to
the purpose of obtaining from Apollo the protection produce laughter, wore a toga praetexta, and a
of human life during the hottest season of -summer; bulla puerilis which hung down from his neck.
but Livy and Macrobius adopt the account founded (Plut. Quaest. Roma. p. 277; Fest. s. v. Satrdi
upon the most authentic document, the carmina vedales, &c.) According to some of the ancients
Marciana themselves, that the Apollinarian games this ceremony was intended to ridicule the Veienwere instituted partly to obtain the aid of Apollo tines, who were subdued, after long wars with
in expelling the Carthaginians from Italy, and Rome, and numbers of whom were sold as slaves,
partly to preserve, through the favour of the god, while their king, represented by the old nlan with
the republic from all dangers. The oracle suggested the bulla (such was said to have been the costume
that the games should be held every year under of the Etruscan kings), was led through the city
the superintendence of the praetor urhbanus, and as an object of ridicule.
that ten men should perform the sacrifices accord- The Veientines, it is further said, were desiging to Greek rites. The senate complying with nated by the name Sardiani or Sardi, because they
the advice of the oracle made two senatuscon- were believed to have come from Lydia, the capital
sulta; one that, at the end of the games, the of which was Sardes. This specimen of ancient etypraetor should receive 12,01i0 asses to be expended mology,however, is opposedbyanotherinterpretation
on the solemnities and sacrifices, and another that of the origin of the ceremony given by Sinnius Capito.
the ten men should sacrifice to Apollo, according to According to this author, the name Sardiani or
Greek rites, a bull with gilt horns and two white Sardi had nothing to do with the Veientines, but
goats also with gilt horns, and to Latona a heifer referred to the inhabitants of Sardinia. When
with gilt horns. The games themselves were held their island was subdued by the Romans in B. C.
in the Circus Maximlus, the spectators were adorned 238, no spoils were found, but a great number of
with chaplets, and each citizen gave a contribution Sardinians were brought to Rome and sold as
towards defraying the expenses. (Festus, s. v. slaves, and these proved to be slaves of the worst
Apollinares.) The Roman matrons performed sup- kind. (Fest. 1. c.; Aurel. Vict. de Vir. lllusht.
plications, the people took their meals in the pro- c. 57.) Hence arose the proverb, Sairdi venales;
patuluin with open doors, and the whole day- aliaus alio nequior (Cic. ad Fasn. vii. 24), and hence
for the festival lasted only one day - was filled up also the ceremony at the Capitoline games. At
with ceremonies and various other rites. At this what time or at what intervals these ludi were
first celebration of the ludi Apollinares no decree celebrated is not mentioned. During the time of
was made respecting the annual repetition sug- the empire they seem to have fallen into oblivion,
gested biy the oracle, so that in the first year they but they were restored by Domitian, and were
were simply ludi votivi or indictivi. The year henceforth celebrated every fifth year under the
after (B. c. 211) the senate, on the proposal of the name of agones Capitolini. (See Jos. Scaliger,
praetor Calpurnius, decreed that they should be re- Auson. Lect. i. 10.) [L. S.]
peated, and that in future they should be vowed LUDI CIRCENSES ROMA'NI or MAGNI,.
afresh every year. (Liv. xxvi. 23.) The day on were celebrated every year during several days,
which they were held varied every year according from the fourth to the twelfth of September, in
to circumstances. A few years after, however (B. C. honour of the three great divinities, Jupiter, Juno,
208), when Rome and its vicinity were visited by and Minerva (Cic. c. Verr. v. 14), or according to
a plague, the praetor urbanus, P. Licinius Varus, others, in honour of Jupiter, Census, and Neptunus
brought a bill before the people to ordain that the Equestris. They were superintended by the curule
Apollinarian games should in future always be aediles. For further particulars see CIRCUS, p.
vowed and held on a certain day (dies status), viz. 286, &c. [L. S.]
on the 6th of July, which day henceforward re- LUDI COMPITALI'CII. [COMPITALIA.]
mained a dies solennis. (Liv. xxvii. 23.) The LUDI FLORA'LES. [FLORALIA.]
games thus became votivi et stativi, and continued LUDI FUNEBRES were games celebrated at
to be conducted by the praetor urbanus. (Cic. the funeral pyre of illustrious persons. Such gamnes
Phzil. ii. 13.) But during the empire the day of these are mentioned in the very early legends of the
solemnities appears again to have been changed, history of Greece and Rome, and they continued
for Julius Capitolinus (Mcaxim. et Ballbin. c. 1) as- with various modifications until the introduction of
signs them to the 26th of May. [L.S.] Christianity. It was at such a ludus funebris that
LUDI AUGUSTA'LES. [AUcGUSTALES.] in the year B. C. 264 gladiatorial fights were exLUDI CAPITOLI/NI were said to have been hibited at Rome for the first time, which henceinstituted by the senate, on the proposal of the forward remained the most essential part in all
dictator M. Furius Camillus, in the year B.c. 387, ludi funebres. [GLADIATORES, p. 574, a.] The
after the departure of the Gauls from Rome, as a duration of these games varied according to cirtoken of gratitude towards Jupiter Capitolinus, cumstances. They lasted sometimes for three and
who had saved the Capitol in the hour of danger. sometimes for four days, though it may be supposed
The decree of the senate at the same time intrusted that in the majority of cases they did not last more
the superintendence and management of the Capi- than one day. On one occasion 120 gladiators
tolinre games to a college of priests to be chosen by fought in the course of three days, and the whole
the dictator from among those who resided on the forum was covered with triclinia and tents, in
Capitol and in the citadel (in arce), which can onlly which the people feasted. (Liv. xxii. 30, xxxi.