Ludi Ceriales 2765 (Nova Roma)

Latest revision as of 11:26, 23 June 2024

On behalf of the Ædilitas Plebis of Nova Roma, and especially of his colleague Gaius Æmilius Priscus, Publius Annæus Constantinus Placidus welcomes all citizens of Nova Roma to this year's edition of Ludi Ceriales. In ancient Rome, these Ludi were celebrated from April 12 to April 19 in honor of Ceres, the goodess of harvests. Similarily, here in our Res Publica, games will be held during these very same days. I solemnly swear here that I shall do my very best to make these Ludi entertaining, fun and pleasure-filled for everyone who will join them, and also for all people who prefer to just follow the events without taking part actively - you are all welcome! So now, without further ado, allow me to give the starting whistle to this new edition of Ludi Ceriales.

I hereby declare the 2765 edition of Ludi Ceriales officially OPEN!

Optime valete omnes,

Publius Annæus Constantinus Placidus

Ædilis Plebis Novæ Romæ

LUDI CERIALES 2765 auc

As part of the Ludi, a Virtual Chariot Race and a linguistical/historical quiz will take place besides the traditional religious rituals.

CHARIOT RACE

Starting from April 15 until the conclusion of the Ludi Ceriales, a Virtual Chariot Race was held, consisting of a line-up of 16 entrants and, as usual, of four Quarterfinals, two Semifinals and one final.

Quarterfinals

The First Quarterfinal was held on Sunday, April 15. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Potentia, owned and driven by M. Pompeius Caninus for Veneta - third place
• Lane II: Ulpia Prima, owned by C. Æmilius Crassus, driven by Viriathus for Russata - fourth place
• Lane III: Elpidius, owned by L. Julia Aquila, driven by Spero for Albata
• Lane IV: Currus Bibonis, owned by M. Pompeius Caninus and driven by Atrectus for Præsina - second place, qualified for the First Semifinal

The full report of this First Quarterfinal race can be found here: First Quarterfinal.

The Second Quarterfinal was held on Monday, April 16. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Ignis Natus, owned by L. Julia Aquila and driven by Ætius Canius for Albata - third place
• Lane II: Tonitrus, owned by P. Porcius Licinius and driven by Rutilius for Veneta - second place, qualified for the First Semifinal
• Lane III: Erebus, owned by C. Arminius Reccanellus and driven by Poncianus for Russata - winner, qualified for the First Semifinal
• Lane IV: Mellivora Capensis "Honey Catcher", owned by L. Cornelius Sulla Felix and driven by Eudoxius for Præsina - fourth place

The full report of this Second Quarterfinal race can be found here: Second Quarterfinal.

The Third Quarterfinal was held on Wednesday, April 18. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Decimator, owned by M. Iulius Aquila and driven by Serapis Tutor for Albata - winner, qualified for the Second Semifinal
• Lane II: Fulmen, owned by P. Porcius Licinius and driven by Mugitus for Veneta - fourth place
• Lane III: Equua Noctis, owned by Statia Cornelia Æternia and driven by Nyxia of Arcadia for Veneta - second place, qualified for the Second Semifinal
• Lane IV: Ventus Albus, owned by C. Maria Cæca and driven by Hermannus for Albata - third place

The full report of this Third Quarterfinal race can be found here: Third Quarterfinal.

The Fourth Quarterfinal was held on Thursday, April 19. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Afrat ("ghost" in Arabic), owned by Q. Fabius Maximus and driven by Klemons for Præsina - fourth place
• Lane II: Fulmen Punicum, owned by Consul C. Tullius Valerianus Germanicus and driven by C. Hanno Pœnulus for Veneta - winner, qualified for the Second Semifinal
• Lane III: Tempestus Albus, owned by C. Maria Cæca and driven by Arianrhod for Albata - second place, qualified for the Second Semifinal
• Lane IV: Appia, owned by Tiberia Valeria Celeris and driven by Cæruleus for Veneta - third place

The full report of this Fourth Quarterfinal race can be found here: Fourth Quarterfinal.

Semifinals

The First Semifinal was held on Monday, April 23. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Elpidius, owned by L. Julia Aquila and driven by Spero for Albata - fourth place
• Lane II: Currus Bibonis, owned by M. Pompeius Caninus and driven by Actrectus for Præsina - third place
• Lane III: Tonitrus, owned by P. Porcius Licinius and driven by Rutilius for Veneta - winner, qualified for the Final
• Lane IV: Erebus, owned by C. Arminius Reccanellus and driven by Poncianus for Russata - second place, qualified for the Final

The full report of this First Semifinal can be found here: First Semifinal.

The Second Semifinal was held on Tuesday, April 24. The line-up and results are as follows.

• Lane I: Decimator, owned by M. Julius Aquila and driven by Serapis Tutor for Albata - second place, qualified for the Final
• Lane II: Equua Noctis, owned by Sta. Cornelia Æternia and driven by Nyxia for Veneta - third place
• Lane III: Fulmen Punicum, owned by Consul C. Tullius Valerianus Germanicus and driven by C. Hanno Pœnulus for Veneta winner, qualified for the Final
• Lane IV: Tempestus Albus,owned by C. Maria Cæca and driven by Arianrhod for Albata - fourth place

The full report of this Second Semifinal can be found here: Second Semifinal.

Final

The Final Race was held on Thursday, April 26. The line-up is as follows.

• Lane I: Tonitrus, owned by P. Porcius Licinius and driven by Rutilius for Veneta
• Lane II: Erebus, owned by C. Arminius Reccanellus and driven by Poncianus Sergius Cæsar for Russata
• Lane III: Fulmen Punicum, owned by Consul C. Tullius Valerianus Germanicus and driven by C. Hanno Pœnulus for Veneta
• Lane IV: Decimator, owned by M. Iulius Aquila and driven by Serapis Tutor for Albata

The Final Race, and consequently this Ludi Ceriales 2765 edition of the Virtual Chariot Race, was won by EREBUS, owned by C. ARMINIUS RECCANELLUS and driven by PONCIANUS SERGIUS CÆSAR for Russata. Congratulations from the Ædilitas to Reccanellus and his driver!!

The full report of this Final Race, including the placements of the other three runners, can be found here: Final Race.

LINGUISTICAL/HISTORICAL QUIZ: IPSE DIXIT, PART 4

During these Ludi Ceriales, a linguistical/historical quiz based on famous Latin sentences has been held. Every day, two famous quotes were posted on the main list, and citizens were asked three questions for each quote. The first two questions were always respectively about translating the sentence into English and identifying its writer and/or its source, while the third question varied. More detailed rules and scores was posted regularily on the main list, while this space was regularily updated with the questions and the standings of citizens who answered.

Below here you can find all of the items of the quiz, with their answers..

DAY 1

ITEM 1: ACTA EST FABULA, PLAUDITE CIVES!
1. Translate this phrase into English (3 points)

• The play is over, applaud, citizens!

2. Identify the originator of this phrase. (2 points + 1 additional point for the original source)

• Attributed to Cæsar Augustus on this deathbed, according to Suetonius' "Life of Augustus".

3. Briefly explain the symbolical or metaphorical meaning of this phrase. (4 points)

• The phrase was traditionally spoken at the end of a theatrical play to inform the audience that the performance was over, and, hopefully, to invite them to applaud. In its context, it means "Everything is over".

ITEM 2: VARE, LEGIONES REDDE!
1. Translate this phrase into English. (3 points)

• Varus, give (me) back (my) legions!

2. Identify the originator of this phrase. (2 points + 1 additional point for the original source)

• Augustus again, yet again from Suetonius' account of his life.

3. Briefly explain the historical context and the symbolical meaning of this phrase. (4 points)

• Publius Quinctilius Varus, a skilled but highly ambitious general, lost three entire legions in the Battle of the Teoutoburg Forest (9 AD). Augustus is reported to have been thunderstruck by the news, to the point that he ran like a madman throughout his mansion, tearing up his garments and screaming "Varus, give me back my legions!". The figurative meaning is "Give me back what is mine".

DAY 2

ITEM 3: ALEA IACTA EST
1. Translate this phrase into English. (3 points)

• The die is cast, the dice are cast, the die has been cast, etc. All are acceptable.

2. identify the originator of this phrase and, if possible, its original source - meant as the medium (literary work, treatise, book etc.) trhough which it is known to us. (2 points + 1 additional point for the source)

• Iulius Cæsar, as reported in Suetonius "De Vita Cæsarum".

3. Briefly explain what this phrase actually means on a symbolical/metaphorical level.

• Said by Cæsar while crossing the Rubicon (49 AD) leading his army (violating the Roman law which forbade an armed entry within the borders of Italia and thus starting the Second Civil War), the phrase refers to the point of no return, of no going back.

ITEM 4: VAE VICTIS!
1. Translate this phrase into English. (3 points)

• Woe to the won! (literally), Woe to the vanquished!

2. identify the originator of this phrase and, if possible, its original source, as above. (2 points + 1 additional point for the source)

• Gallic chieftain Brennus said the phrase, as reported by Livy in his "Ab Urbe Condita".

3. Briefly explain the historical significance of this phrase and its meaning. (4 points)

• Brennus defeated the Roman army in 386 AD; the Romans had to pay him a tribute in gold, which they weighed with a fixed scale. Then Brennus pulled out his heavy sword and put it on the plate, thus making the calculation even more unfavourable to the Romans, and exclaimed that he had no mercy on the losers. This is the meaning in which the phrase is currently used.

DAY 3

ITEM 5: COMES FACUNDUS IN VIA PRO VEHICULO EST
1. Translate this phrase into English (3 points). This has no symbolical meaning other than the literal one, which is self-explanatory, so you do not get a third question for this item.

• A talkative companion on the road is as good as a vehicle.

2. Identify the writer of this phrase and the work from which it is taken. (2+1 points)

• Publilius Syrus, Sententiæ.

ITEM 6: ECCE HOMO
1. Translate this phrase into English (3 points). The most common English translation is acceptable.

• Here is the man; most commonly rendered as "Behold the man".

2. Identify the originator of this phrase and the book through which it is known to us. (2+1 points)

• Pontius Pilate. Bible, Gospel of John, 19:5

3. Explain the metaphorical meaning of the phrase, beyond the literal one.(4 points)

• Pilate said the phrase when exposing Jesus to the crowd after the flagellation. He admonished them: "See for yourself what you have done to him, to one of your own kind". Today the phrase applies to any human being in miserable conditions, and to humanity in general, especially regarding man's inhumanity to man.

NOTE: I do not wish to go against or offend anyone's beliefs, religious or otherwise, by posting the above item. I am using the phrase only for the purposes of the game and for its historical significance, and also because I think that its current meaning extends well beyond the single event to which it refers.

DAY 4

ITEM 7: DAT VENIAM CORVIS, VEXAT CENSURA COLUMBAS
1. Translate this phrase into English. (3 points)

• Censorship indulges on ravens (and) torments doves.

2. Identify the writer of this phrase and its source (literary work). (2 points + 1 for the source)

• Juvenal, Satire II.

3. Explain the meaning of this phrase. (4 points)

• Censorship often targets the most innocent and defenseless people while it does not touch the actual villains.

ITEM 8: VENI, VIDI, VICI
1. Translate this phrase into English. The most common translation is acceptable. (3 points)

• I came, I saw, I won (literally). Most commonly rendered as "...I conquered".

2. Identify the originator of this phrase (the man who said it) and its source (the literary work through which it is known to us). (2 +1 points)

• Iulius Cæsar, as reported in Plutarch's Parallel Lives. Also in Suetonius.

3. Explain the historical context and the meaning of this phrase. (4 points).

• Cæsar used this phrase to report his extraordinarily quick victory over Farnaces II in Zela (47 BC). He did indeed mean that it had been a quick and easy victory.

DAY 5

ITEM 9: ALIENA VITIA IN OCULIS HABEMUS, A TERGO NOSTRA SUNT
1) Translate this sentence into English as literally as possible. (3 points)

• We have others' vices in our eyes, ours are in our behind (or "...behind us").

2) Identify the writer of this sentence and its source (literary work). (2 points + 1 for the source)

• Lucius Annæus Seneca (the Younger), De Ira.

3) Give at least one more example of a sentence or a writer expressing the same idea as in the sentence above. (4 points)

• The most famous ones are a fable by Phædrus ("Jupiter gave us two shoulder bags, one in front of us with other people's vices and one behind us, with our own vices") and a passage in the Gospel of Luke, 6:42. ("How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.") The same concept was also re-stated by Catullus, Cicero and John Gay.

ITEM 10: MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO
1) Translate this phrase into English. (3 points)

• A sound mind in a sound body, a healthy mind in a healty body.

2) Identify the writer of this sentence and its source (literary work). (2 points + 1 for the source)

• Juvenal, Satire X.

3) Explain the meaning of this phrase (beyond its translation). (4 points)

• The mind has to be kept just as fit as the body.

DAY 6 - FINAL DAY

Item 11: LIBEROS HOMINES PER URBEM MODICO MAGIS PARI EST GRADU IRE; SERVILE ESSE DUCO FESTINANTEM CURRERE.
1. Translate this complex sentence (which is actually two joined sentences) into English. (3 points)

• I think that it is suitable for free men to walk into the city at a more moderate pace; (I think that) to run hastily is servile (typical of slaves).

2. Identify the writer of this sentence and the work (theatrical work) from which it is taken. (2 points + 1 for the source)

• Titus Maccius Plautus, Pœnulus.

3. Explain the meaning of this sentence. (4 points)

• The dignity of a free man shows in the way he walks - neither too fast not too slow. Slaves are the ones who always run.

Item 12: SUNT QUOS CURRICULO PULVEREM OLYMPICUM COLLEGISSE IUVAT.
1. Translate this sentence into English. (3 points)

• The simplest version is: There are people who like to raise/collect Olympic dust on chariots.

2. Identify the writer of this sentence and the poetical work from which it is taken. (2 points + 1 for the source)

• Horace, Odes, Book I, 1.

3. Explain the meaning of this sentence (4 points). I think the explanation is actually easier than the translation. ;-)

• Everyone has his own ambition, everyone is contented with something.

The winner of this fourth edition of IPSE DIXIT is MARCUS POMPEIUS CANINUS with an amazing score of 113 points. Congratulations to Caninus from the whole of the Ædilitas Plebis!

The rest of the contestants placed themselves as follows.

• Gaius Tullius Valerianus Germanicus - 112 points
• Gaius Marcius Crispus - 112 points
• Gaius Æmilius Crassus - 95 points
• Statia Cornelia Æternia - 94 points

• Lucia Iulia Aquila - 40 points

CLOSING REMARKS

On behalf of the entire Ædilitas Plebis and especially of my Ædilician colleague Gaius Æmilius Crispus, who unfortunately was unable, out of personal reasons, to actually take part in the organization, set-up and management of this 2765 edition of Ludi Ceriales, I would like to send out my warmest, most sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined: to all of the citizens who sent me their answers to the quiz items (even to citizens who sent their answer to just one or two of them!), and to all of the citizens who sent me their chariot submissions for the Virtual Chariot Race, with an au revoir, an aus wiedersehen, and a hasta mañana to anyone who came late in sending his or her submission to me... I shall see you all again in November, for the 2765 edition of Ludi Plebeii! In the meantime, you may all spend some time browsing through all of the above, which shall stay here as a reminder of how great and how passionately experienced were these Ludi by all of you. I had lots and lots of fun in creating them, and I know that all of you had lots of fun as well.

I hereby declare the 2765 Edition of Ludi Ceriales officially CLOSED!

Optime valete omnes,

Publius Annæus Constantinus Placidus

Ædilis Plebis Novæ Romæ