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''Ludi'' (Latin plural) were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people (''populus Romanus''). ''Ludi'' were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also presented as part of the cult of state. The earliest ''ludi'' were horse races in the circus (''ludi circenses'').〔Not all chariot races were part of religious festivals.〕 Animal exhibitions with mock hunts (''venationes'') and theatrical performances (''ludi scaenici'') also became part of the festivals.〔Mary Beard, J.A. North, and S.R.F. Price, ''Religions of Rome: A History'' (Cambridge University Press, 1998), p. 66.〕 Days on which ''ludi'' were held were public holidays, and no business could be conducted — "remarkably," it has been noted, "considering that in the Imperial era more than 135 days might be spent at these entertainments" during the year.〔Matthew Bunson, ''A Dictionary of the Roman Empire'' (Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 246. In the late Roman Republic, 57 days were spent at ''ludi'' on fixed dates, with many of the additional game days added by Augustus.〕 Although their entertainment value may have overshadowed religious sentiment at any given moment, even in late antiquity the ''ludi'' were understood as part of the worship of the traditional gods, and the Church Fathers thus advised Christians not to participate in the festivities.〔Beard, ''Religions of Rome'', p. 262.〕 The singular form ''ludus'', "game, sport" or "play" has several meanings in Latin.〔''Ludus'', for instance, may refer to child's play, erotic game-playing, an elementary school, and a training camp for gladiators: ''Oxford Latin Dictionary'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982, 1985 reprint), pp. 1048–1049.〕 The plural is used for "games" in a sense analogous to the Greek festivals of games, such as the Panhellenic Games.〔Helen Lovatt, ''Statius and Epic Games: Sport, Politics, and Poetics in the Thebaid'' (Cambridge University Press, 2005), pp. 5–6.〕 The late-antique scholar Isidore of Seville, however, classifies the forms of ''ludus'' as ''gymnicus'' ("athletic"), ''circensis'' ("held in the circus," mainly the chariot races), ''gladiatorius'' ("gladiatorial") and ''scaenicus'' ("theatrical").〔Isidore of Seville, ''Etymologiae'' 18.16.3.〕 The relation of gladiatorial games to the ''ludi'' is complex; see Gladiator. ==Politics and religion== Originally, all ''ludi'' seem to have been votive offerings (''ludi votivi''), staged as the fulfillment of a vow to a deity whose favor had been sought and evidenced. In 366 BC, the ''Ludi Romani'' became the first games to be placed on the religious calendar as an annual event sponsored by the state as a whole.〔Alison Futrell, ''The Roman Games: A Sourcebook'' (Blackwell, 2006), p. 2.〕 Games in the circus were preceded by a parade ''(pompa circensis)'' featuring the competitors, mounted youths of the Roman nobility, armed dancers, musicians, a satyr chorus, and images of the gods. As the product of military victory, ''ludi'' were often connected to triumphs. The first recorded ''venatio'' (staged beast hunt) was presented in 186 BC by M. Fulvius Nobilior as part of his ''ludi votivi'', for which he paid with booty displayed at his triumph.〔Ida Östenberg, ''Staging the World: Spoils, Captives, and Representations in the Roman Triumphal Procession'' (Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 169.〕 As religious ceremonies, ''ludi'' were organized at first by various colleges of priests; during the Republic, they were later presented by consuls, but became most associated with the responsibilities of the aediles. Although public money was allocated for the staging of ''ludi'', the presiding official increasingly came to augment the splendor of his games from personal funds as a form of public relations.〔Lovat, ''Statius and Epic Games'', p. 10.〕 The sponsor was able to advertise his wealth, while declaring that he intended to share it for public benefit. Although some men with an eye on the consulship skipped the office of aedile for the very reason that massive expenditures were expected, those with sufficient resources spent lavishly to cultivate the favor of the people. The religious festivals to which the ''ludi'' were attached also occasioned public banquets, and often public works such as the refurbishing or building of temples.〔Overview based on Sumi, ''Ceremony and Power'' (see below). For an example, see discussion of Clodius Pulcher's aedileship in W. Jeffrey Tatum, ''The Patrician Tribune'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1999), pp. 198–199 (online. )〕 Following the assassination of Julius Caesar at the Ides of March in 44 BC, Marcus Brutus realized that a significant segment of the ''populus'' regarded him not as a liberator, but as the murderer of a beloved champion, and among other gestures of goodwill toward the people, he arranged to sponsor the ''Ludi Apollinares'', held annually July 6–13. Caesar's heir Octavian at once upstaged him with ''Ludi Victoriae Caesaris'', "games in honor of Caesar's victory," which ran July 20–28 in conjunction with a festival to honor Venus Genetrix, Caesar's patron deity and divine matriarch of the Julian ''gens''. It was during these ''ludi'', which also served as funeral games, that the comet famously appeared to "announce" Caesar's newly divine status. Octavian recognized the value of the festivals in unifying the people, and as Augustus instituted new ''ludi'' within his program of religious reform; public spectacles and entertainments were thus subsumed by Imperial cult.〔Geoffrey S. Sumi, ''Ceremony and Power: Performing Politics in Rome between Republic and Empire'' (University of Michigan Press, 2005), p. 15. Brutus's ''Ludi Apollinares'' is discussed at length, pp. 143–150, followed by discussion of Octavian's counter-efforts. See also John T. Ramsey and A. Lewis Licht, ''The Comet of 44 B.C. and Caesar's Funeral Games'' (American Philological Association, 1997), and Ittai Gradel, ''Emperor worship and Roman religion'' (Oxford University Press, 2002).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ludi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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