Actia

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In Ancient Roman religious tradition, Actia (Greek: Ἄκτια) was a festival of Apollo, celebrated at Nicopolis in Epirus, with wrestling, musical contests, horse racing, and sea battles. It was established by Augustus, in commemoration of his victory over Mark Antony off Actium, and was probably the revival of an ancient festival; for there was a celebrated temple of Apollo at Actium, which is mentioned by Thucydides ^[1], and Strabo ^[2], and which was enlarged by Augustus. The games instituted by Augustus were celebrated every four years (πενταετηρίς, ludi quinquennales); they received the title of a sacred Agon, and were also called Olympia. ^[3]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ History of the Peloponnesian War, i.29
2. ^ The Geography, vii p325
3. ^ Strabo, The Geography l.c.; Dio Cassius, Roman History, li.1; Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, "Life of Augustus", 18; Böckh, Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum, No. 1720, p845; J.H. Krause, Olympia, p221.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates content from Smith's A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, a publication in the public domain.