Dio's Rome, Volume 5: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form — John Shaqi
Dio's Rome, Volume 5: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English FormCassius Dio Cocceianus
History
Dio's Rome, Volume 5: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form
Cassius Dio Cocceianus
Rome -- History
It was now that he celebrated a corresponding number of "Preservation
Sacrifices," as he called them, and dedicated the forum for the sale of
dainties, called _Macellum_. [Sidenote:--19--] Somewhat later he
instituted a different kind of feast (called Juvenalia, a word that showed
it belonged in some way to "youth"). The occasion was the shaving of his
beard for the first time. The hairs he cast into a small golden globe and
offered to Jupiter Capitolinus. To furnish amusement members of the
noblest families as well as others did not fail to give exhibitions. For
instance, Aelia Catella danced: he was first of all a man prominent for
family and wealth and also advanced in years,--he was eighty years of age.
Others who on account of old age or disease could not do anything on their
own account sang as chorus. All devoted themselves to practicing as much
as and by whatever way they were able. Regularly appointed "schools" were
frequented by the most distinguished men, women, girls, lads, old women,
old men. In case any one was unable to appear in any other fashion, he
would enter the choruses. And whereas some of them out of shame had put on
masks to avoid being recognized, Nero at the request of the populace had
them taken off and showed these people to those by whom they had once been
ruled. Now most of all it was that these amateur performers and others
deemed the dead happy; for many of the foremost men this year had been
slain. Some of them, charged with conspiracy against Nero, were surrounded
by the soldiers and stoned to death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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