The secular plays celebrated in Rome the opening of each centenary, the April 21st, birthday day of the Fondation of Rome. The town crier who invited to witness these plays presented them with the formula which became traditional “plays that no one had not seen and that no one was not to re-examine”.

Celebrations of the secular Plays

The dates of celebrations are irregular because the evaluation by the Romans of the date of foundation of Rome varied, and Auguste introduced one second chronology celebrating his reign like new Old of gold.

• -348 celebrated compared to a date of foundation estimated at -748
• -249
• -149
• -17, plays restored by Auguste, the civil war having prevented any celebration into -49. These plays transfer the exaltation of the new century of gold ( saeculum aureum ) announced by the astrologers and inaugurated by Auguste. The third and last day were marked by a procession with Apollon and Diane, accompanied by a song composed by Horace, the Carmen saeculare
• 47, celebrated by Claude, which declared that Auguste had celebrated them too early. They thus marked the 800e birthday of Rome according to the new dating of its foundation into -753, established by Varron
• 87, celebrated by Domitien by basing on the date of those of Auguste
• 147, by Antonin the Piles while returning to the dating of Varron
• 204, by Septime Sévère, this time 220 years after the celebration of the Golden age of Auguste, according to a deadline of two saecula 110 years each one
• of April 21st 247 at April 21st 248, Philippe the Arab mark one year old imposing festivals the millenium of Rome. Strike monetary which accompanied these plays have like reverse the animals presented to the plays: lion, elephant, stag, as well as the she-wolf and the twins Romulus and Remus. These ceremonies had a very great repercussion, one finds of it the mention as well in the Talmud as in the Philogelos.
• 304 : no festivity, the historian Zosime will see there the cause of the decline of Rome
• 348, 1100e birthday of Rome, celebrated with glare by the emperor Constant Ier
• 404, the poet Claudien who at that time saw note that this year would be that of the celebration of the secular plays, 200 years after those of Septime Sévère. One is unaware of however if they were actually celebrated, beginning of the year 404 having already been marked by the triumph of Honorius and Stilicon.

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