Augustus and the Ludi Saeculares: Rebirth of Rome

In 17 BC, Augustus staged the most spectacular religious festival Rome had ever seen: the Ludi Saeculares, or Secular Games. This episode unpacks how the emperor revived an archaic Etruscan ritual to mark the dawn of a new golden age. We walk through the three-day ceremony on the Campus Martius and Palatine Hill, the secret rites at the Tarentum, and the role of the quindecimviri—the priestly college that guarded the Sibylline Books. Lucas and Luna explore how the Augustan poet Horace was commissioned to write a hymn for the occasion, the Carmen Saeculare, sung by a choir of 27 boys and 27 girls. We hear how the festival honored underworld deities like Dis Pater and Proserpina alongside Apollo and Diana, and how Augustus tied the games to his vision of a revived Rome after decades of civil war. The episode also reveals the logistical feat of organizing such an event, the symbolic use of torches and sacrifices, and how later emperors reused the framework. A deep dive into a single moment that captures the fusion of religion, poetry, and imperial power at the heart of the Augustan settlement. #Augustus #LudiSaeculares #SecularGames #Horace #CarmenSaeculare #17BC #Quindecimviri #Apollo #Diana #DisPater #Proserpina #CampusMartius #RomanReligion #AugustanPropaganda #PaxRomana #RomanHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo