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Glite Dictionary
Ludi Saeculares

Ludi Saeculares

9.9
Religious games held in ancient Rome about every hundred years to mark a new generation
  • proper noun
  • /ˈluːdi saɪˈkjuːlɛrz/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Ludi Saeculares
  • The Ludi Saeculares were grand public celebrations intended to honor the gods and mark the passage of a new generation in Rome.

Examples

  • Augustus famously revived the Ludi Saeculares in 17 BC to legitimize his rule and restore traditional Roman values.

  • Scholars study the inscriptions detailing how the Ludi Saeculares evolved from the Republic into the Empire.

  • The Ludi Saeculares were a significant event in ancient Roman culture.

  • Did you know that the Ludi Saeculares were celebrated every hundred years?

  • In ancient Rome, the Ludi Saeculares were celebrated to mark the beginning of a new era and pay tribute to the gods.

  • The Ludi Saeculares consisted of various public games and rituals that occurred every hundred years in Roman history.

  • During the Ludi Saeculares, citizens participated in festivities that symbolized renewal and the passage of time.

Synonyms

secular games
vsLudi Saeculares
  • Literature
9.9

Religious ceremonies and public shows held every hundred years in ancient Rome

has identical meaning but uses the traditional Latin phrase instead

Surface Forms

Ludi Saeculares main

Morphology

Ludi + Saeculares

This is a Latin proper name rather than an English compositional phrase; its constituents are not common English words and carry specialized historical and cultural meaning. Even if a learner recognized 'ludi' as games and 'saeculares' as related to a generation/saeculum, the full sense (a specific centennial religious festival in ancient Rome) is culturally specific and not transparently derivable from the parts for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Ludi Saeculares comes from ancient Rome: ludi were public games and saeculares comes from the word 'saeculum', meaning 'generation'. They were big religious celebrations held about every hundred years with sacrifices, plays, and ceremonies to mark the start of a new age, so the name refers to grand rites that begin a new generation.