Lusus Troiae
Vergil's Aeneid describes the Lusus Troiae as a final event in games held to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Anchises. The drill features three troops, each made up of twelve riders, a leader, and two armor-bearers. These men perform intricate drills on horseback that split apart and turn away while cantering left and right. They wheeled and dipped their lances for a charge before entering parades and counter-parades. Two detachments matched in the arena wound in and out of one another with whipping sham cavalry skirmishes. Baring backs in flight they whirled round with leveled points then patched up a truce. So intricate was this drill that Vergil compared it to the Cretan Labyrinth between walls in the dark. The column split apart as files in the three squadrons all in line turned away. They recalled and wheeled to dip their lances for a charge. This complex intertwining maneuver served as a display of horsemanship rather than a contest.
Julius Caesar revived the lusus Troiae in 45 or 46 BC perhaps in connection with his family claim to have descended from Iulus. Iulus is the son of Aeneas who rides a horse that was a gift from the Carthaginian queen Dido. Augustus established the lusus Troiae as a regular event after taking power. His frequent performance appears in Suetonius's account of Augustus chapter 43. Young Tiberius led a turma at games celebrating the dedication of the Temple of the Divine Julius on the 18th of August 29 BC. The lusus also appeared at the dedication of the Theater of Marcellus in 13 BC. It occurred again at the dedication of the Temple of Mars Ultor on the 1st of August 2 BC. Children in eastern dress on the Ara Pacis have sometimes been interpreted as Gaius and Lucius Caesar in Trojan garb for the game in 13 BC. Charles Brian Rose argues against this identification but discusses the uneasy interaction of Trojan and Parthian iconography. The Troy Game continued to be staged under other emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Vergil explicitly compares the patterns of the drill to the Cretan Labyrinth which was associated with the geranos crane dance taught by Theseus. Theseus taught the Athenian youth he rescued from the Minotaur there how to perform the dance. In myth and ritual the labyrinth has been interpreted as a return from danger or a triumph of life over death. More specifically it functions as an initiation ritual where the feet of shield-bearers suggest dance steps. The geranos of Theseus serves as a mythic prototype for the escape of initiates from the rigors of initiation. At least one Celtic polity called the Aedui claimed like the Romans to be of Trojan descent. They were formally recognized by the Roman senate as brothers and allies long before incorporation into the empire. The Etruscan designation Truia may be a play on words since truare means to move within weaving vocabulary. It has been argued that the lusus Troiae is the running thread game intended to repair social fabric after civil wars. Claudian describes interwoven retreats compared to the Cretan labyrinth and the course of the Meander River near Troy.
A late 7th-century Etruscan wine-server from Tragliatella depicts mounted youths emerging from a labyrinth with legend TRUIA. This artifact suggests pre-Roman roots or influences on the Troy Game according to scholars studying religious significance in games. The Truia wine-server has been regarded as key evidence tracing spread of the Cretan Labyrinth design from Greece first into Etruscan Italy. From there it moved into central and northern Europe, the British Isles, and Iberia. Initiation iconography similar to that of the Etruscan oinochoë appears on a panel of the Gundestrup Cauldron generally regarded as presenting Celtic subject matter. Thracian influence exists in workmanship of this famous silver vessel found in Denmark. John Scheid and Jesper Svenbro discuss the Truia vessel at greater length regarding crane dance and labyrinth connections. Thomas Habinek examines how the feet of shield-bearers may suggest dance steps within initiation rituals. The most explicit claim of Trojan origin for the Aedui comes from Ammianus Marcellinus chapter 15 section 9 paragraph 5.
Nero participated in 47 AD at age nine along with Britannicus during events called ludicrum Troiae by Tacitus. Seneca mentions the event in his Troades line 778 where he discusses its political implications. Ellen O'Gormon analyzes semiotics of Nero's participation at length in Irony and Misreading in Annals of Tacitus. The game was performed on purification days known as dies lustri according to Seneca's Troades lines 777f. Mars was associated with horses through his Equirria festivals and ritual of October Horse as patron of warrior youth. Salii were youthful armed priests who performed dance steps expressed by forms of verb truare meaning to perform a truia dance. The Troy Game supervised by Tribunes of Celeres connected to Salii in Fasti Praenestini. Claudian describes similar events in Panegyric on Sixth Consulship of Emperor Honorius comparing interwoven retreats to Meander River course near Troy. These performances conveyed specific political messaging through noble youth participation under emperors like Nero.
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Common questions
What is the Lusus Troiae according to Vergil's Aeneid?
Vergil describes the Lusus Troiae as a final event in games held to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Anchises. The drill features three troops each made up of twelve riders, a leader, and two armor-bearers performing intricate maneuvers on horseback.
When did Julius Caesar revive the lusus Troiae and why?
Julius Caesar revived the lusus Troiae in 45 or 46 BC perhaps in connection with his family claim to have descended from Iulus. Iulus is the son of Aeneas who rides a horse that was a gift from the Carthaginian queen Dido.
Which emperors performed the lusus Troiae after Augustus established it as regular?
Augustus established the lusus Troiae as a regular event after taking power and Young Tiberius led a turma at games celebrating the dedication of the Temple of the Divine Julius on the 18th of August 29 BC. The game continued under other emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty including Nero who participated in 47 AD at age nine along with Britannicus during events called ludicrum Troiae by Tacitus.
How does Vergil compare the patterns of the Lusus Troiae to mythological dances?
Vergil explicitly compares the patterns of the drill to the Cretan Labyrinth which was associated with the geranos crane dance taught by Theseus. Theseus taught the Athenian youth he rescued from the Minotaur there how to perform the dance.
What evidence exists for pre-Roman roots or influences on the Troy Game?
A late 7th-century Etruscan wine-server from Tragliatella depicts mounted youths emerging from a labyrinth with legend TRUIA. This artifact suggests pre-Roman roots or influences on the Troy Game according to scholars studying religious significance in games.