AC´TIA
AC´TIA (
Ἄκτια), a
festival of Apollo Actius, celebrated at Nicopolis in Epirus, with
wrestling, musical contests, horse-racing, and sea-fights. It was
established by Augustus, in commemoration of his victory over 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
(
1.29) and Strabo (
vii. p.325), and which was enlarged by
Augustus. The games instituted by Augustus were celebrated every four years
(
μεντετηρίς,
ludi quinquennales) at Nicopolis, probably on
Sept. 2, the anniversary of the battle of Actium; they received the title of
a sacred Agon, and ranked next after the four great games of Greece. Some
counted by
Actiads instead of Olympiads. (
J. BJ 1.20,
4; Strab.
l.c.;
D. C. 51.1;
Suet. Aug.
18;
Stat. Silv. 2.2,
6; Böckh,
Corp.
Inscr. No. 1720, 1793; Krause,
Olympia,
p. 221.)
Actia were also celebrated at the same time at
Rome by the orders of the senate. (
D. C. 53.1,
54.19; Mommsen,
Res gest. D.
Aug. p. 27.) They are frequently mentioned in inscriptions, and were
also celebrated in other parts of the empire. (Friedländer,
Sittengesch. ii. p. 304.)
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