Domitian made celebrate the secular games a little in advance, in 88, while being based on the calculations of Augustus who had celebrated them in 17 BC, and not on those, celebrated by Claude, which took place in 47.

These games, that nobody was supposed to have already seen, and never reviewed, were the object of an emission of coin series, that illustrate the various stages of the festivities: the announcement of the games by the herald (*), the distribution to the people of products of purification (suffimenta), witch were consumed by emitting a smoke; the sacrifice to Iovi Optimo Maximo (Jupiter), offered the first day to the Capitol; the sacrifice of a black pig to the Goddess Tellus (the Mother Earth), that of a white bull to Jupiter and Juno, as well as black bulls to Pluto and Proserpina; and the handing out to the people of fruits of the harvest, which must be offered to the Gods.

We can also see nearly 2000 years later, the sacrifice of sheep and goats, offered at the first night, near the Tiber; the prayer to Juno, in the presence of the emperor, accompanied by 110 matrons, which took place the second day in the Capitol; the procession of young people (27 boys and 27 girls) singing the old hymn in Greek and Latin to the glory of Apollo and Diana; and finally the cippus, placed at the fields of Mars to commemorate the event.

Copper As, circa 88, Numismatic LANZ

During the game, a rhinoceros was shown, opposed to a bear. That was the rhinoceros who won. This battle was immortalized by the poet Martial, and is probably illustrated on the Domitian' quadrans:

Copper Quadrans, circa 88, Classical Numismatic Group

MARTIAL, Epigrams, Intro: "Another day, there was a rhinoceros which made his debut in the Circus: I applauded the imperial rhinoceros. The bear took his turn, and I sang, the bear taken in the lime like an inhabitant of the air." Book XIV: LIII. - THE HORN OF RHINOCEROS: "This rhino playing formerly in the middle of the imperial arena, and for which the bull was only a dummy, will be for you what the bull was for him".

Browse catalog emissions:

• Games' Silver Coins Emissions

• Games' Bronze Coins Emissions

C. Suetonius Tranquillus, “The Lives of the Twelve Ceasars”, Domitian IV: “He also celebrated Secular games, reckoning the time, not according to the year when Claudius had last given them, but by the previous calculation of Augustus. In the course of these, to make it possible to finish a hundred races on the day of contests in the Circus, he diminished the number of laps from seven to five.”

Frederic Weber

(*) The character of the herald is not completely certain. It could be refer to one of the "quindecimvirs", responsible for presiding over the festivities. An identical character appears on a currency, struck for the secular games, celebrated under Augustus. Quindecimvirs were 15 magistrates, in charge of keeping the sibylline books. Tacitus belonged to quindecimvir, officiating at the celebration of secular games by Domitian.

Recherche interne :