MENSIS NOVEMBER.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Fowler, W. Warde (William Warde)
Of all the months in the Roman year November is the least important from a religious point of view. It was the month of ploughing and sowing—not of holiday-time[1097]; then, as now, it was a quiet month, and in the calendars, with the exception of the ludi plebeii, not a festival appears of any importance. Later on, the worship of Isis gained a hold upon the month[1098], which remained open to intruders long after city-life had taken the place of November agricultural operations.
The ludi plebeii, as a public festival, date from 220 B.C.; they took place in the Circus Flaminius, which was built in that year[1099]; they and the epulum Iovis (Nov. 13) are first mentioned by Livy four years later. The epulum has already been discussed in connexion with the ludi Romani. The plebeian games were probably at first on a single day (Nov. 13), and were gradually extended, like the ludi Romani; finally, they lasted from Nov. 4 to Nov. 17[1100].
The 8th was one of the three days on which the mundus was open: see under Oct. 5.