LUCAR
LUCAR was the money paid from the state treasury to those who
presided over the ludi scenici, as the state contribution towards the
expenses (
τὸ τελούμενον εἰς θέας, Plut.
Q. R. 88). It seems originally to have been the money
derived from
luci, or sacred groves (Fest. s.
vv.
lucar and
pecunia; Plut.
l.c.); but, being paid
into the public treasury and devoted to the expenses of the ludi, it bears
regularly this acquired meaning of money devoted to payment of actors
especially and other expenses of the games. In
Tac.
Ann. 1.77, it is stated that decrees were made under Tiberius to
remove certain abuses relating to theatrical shows, and among them to limit
the payments from the treasury ( “de modo lucaris” ); with
which corresponds
Suet. Tib. 34,
“Ludorum ac munerum impensas arripuit mercedibus scenicorum
recisis.” The holder of the games (e. g. the praetor,
Plut. Brut. 21;
Juv.
6.379) paid the
mercedes to actors
and the other expenses which were incurred; but towards this he received the
lucar from the state. As a mark of
liberality he might forego this aid. Thus in the inscription Orell. 3882 a
certain Marius Lupercianus “in ludos cum accepisset publice lucari
misso de suo erogationem fecit.” According to a regulation of
Servius Tullius at each death (partly with the object of securing a register
of deaths), a piece of money had to be presented to the goddess Libitina
(
Dionys. A. R. 4.15). This money was
called
lucar Libitinae (Orell. 3349). Hence in
Horace,
Sat. 2.5, 19, autumn is called
“Libitinae quaestus:” so in
Suet.
Nero 39, “pestilentia unius autumni quo triginta funerum
millia
in rationem Libitinae
venerunt.” (Preller,
Röm. Myth.
387; Marquardt,
Staatsverw. 3.488; Mommsen,
Staatsrecht, 2.61.) [
LUDI p. 87.]
[
G.E.M]
