HORACE: Carmen Saeculare Flashcards
(9 cards)
1
Q
When was it written?
A
17BC
2
Q
What is it about?
A
It addresses various gods, praising their greatness and asking for blessings on the Roman people.
The deities mentioned all had some connection to Augustus, or to his regime.
3
Q
The Aventine and Mount Algidus?
A
- Two sites of temples to the goddess Diana, and Mount Algidus was where Romulus and Remus were born
4
Q
Ilithyia?
A
Goddess of childbirth, also known as Lucina or Genitalis
5
Q
Alba Longa?
A
the first Trojan settlement in Italy
6
Q
Of the Fifteen?
A
Quindecemviri, 15 priests who would guard and interpret the Sibylline books
7
Q
Ten times eleven?
A
The traditional length of an age or ‘Saeculum’ in Roman tradition
8
Q
Where was this to be performed, and by who?
A
- Performed at the Ludi Saeculares (Secular games)
- Performed by a chorus of 15 Roman virgins dressed in white at the Temple of Apollo and then at the Capitoline Hill
9
Q
Describe the Ludi Saeculares:
A
- Attendance was compulsory, and even those normally banned through the Julian Laws were permitted to attend.
- Therefore: wide audience and a core message that could reach both the literate and illiterate
