Ludi Megalenses 2761 AUC (Nova Roma)/Naumachia

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Salvete!

This year for the Ludi Megalenses (Megalesia), Quaestor Hortensia, Editor of the Games, has approved for a Naumachia to be held in the Flavian Amphitheatre.

The Megalesia traditionally held no munera gladiatoria, venationes or circenses, rather it was a cultural week filled with theatrical performances. This year, we will host a naval theatrical performance in the Colosseum, flooded with water from the nearby Aqua Anio Novus aqueduct.

The naumachiae were reproductions of famous naval battles and were staged in a suitable place, that could be flooded. The actors were generally criminals already condemned to death. These shows - which were apparently held only in the city of Rome - were extremely expensive, because the ships had to be complete in all their details and manoeuvred like real ships in battle. The Romans called these shows navalia proelia (naval battles), but they are commonly known by the equivalent Greek term naumachia, which came to indicate at the same time the show and the basin built for it.

Since the cult of Cybele was introduced to Rome during the Second Punic War, the teams for this Naumachia will be Roman versus Carthaginian. This nautical performance will reenact the naval Battle of Lilybaeum in the summer of 218 BC, the first naval clash between the navies of Carthage and Rome during the Second Punic War.

Background of the Event: The Carthaginians had sent 35 Quinqueremes to raid Sicily, starting with Lilybaeum. The Romans, warned by Hiero of Syracuse of the coming raid, had time to intercept the Carthaginian contingent with a fleet made of 20 Quinqueremes and capture several Carthaginian ships.

To enroll in the Naumachia, please submit the below enrollment information NO LATER THAN April 4th to:

lucius_vitellius_triarius@yahoo.com

Naumachia Enrollment Information

A. Your Roman Name

B. Name of Trierarchus (ship's captain)

C. Name of Ship

NOTE: Ships were commonly named after gods (Mars, Iuppiter, Minerva, Isis), heroes (Hercules), and concepts such as Trust, Loyalty, Victory (Concordia, Fides, Victoria)

D. Description of Ship/Crew (on-board weaponry, main sail color, about the crew e.g. criminals/convicts or actual sailors, etc.)

NOTE: All ships in the naumachia will be Biremes. A bireme, or Roman Galley, is an ancient greek naval ship that was 80 feet (24 metres) long with a maximum beam length of around 10 feet (3 metres). It was modified from unireme (a ship that had only one set of oars on each side) but the bireme had two sets of oars on each side, hence the name. It also had a large square sail. This ship was also used by the Romans frequently and was used the second of Caesar's invasions of Britain. It evolved into the trireme. in "Bireme" "Bi-" means two and "-reme" means row. Often there would be a group of marines and a unit commandant (the commandant was given a tent on the open deck).

E. Carthaginian Team (Reds, Greens) or Roman Team (Whites, Blues)

F. Type of Attack:

• [1] *Ramming opponents*, rams used to sink an enemy ship by holing its hull, when driven against its flank under oar power.
• [2] *Deck-mounted ballista*, like their land-based counterpart, used to bombard the enemy ships with missiles, such as arrows.
• [3] *Deck-mounted catapults*, like their land-based counterpart, used to bombard the enemy ships with missiles, such as rocks and incendiary devices (fireballs).
• [4] *Sweeping the oars*, ship's hull used to ride across and break the oars of an enemy ship, immobilising it, then boarding it.

G. Factio:

• [1] Iuppiter (Albata): God of Rome
• [2] Tanit (Praesina): Goddess of Carthage
• [3] Yamm (Russata): Carthaginian God of the Sea
• [4] Neptune (Veneta): Roman God of the Sea

Points Awarded

Points will be awarded to the winners and counted in the Gladitorial Championship as follows:

• 1st Place - 12 points (last floating ship)
• 2nd Place - 10 points
• 3rd Place - 8 points
• 4th Place - 6 points
• 5th Place - 4 points
• 6th Place - 2 points
• 7th+ Place - 1 point

The Naumachia Lilybaeum in the Flavian Amphitheatre

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