Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The article explores how Augustus and the priesthood of the<jats:sc>XV</jats:sc><jats:italic>viri sacris faciundis</jats:italic>organized and performed the rituals for celebrating a new era (<jats:italic>ludi saeculares</jats:italic>) under the rule of the gods Apollo and Diana. In the Republic, it had been a woman’s personal decision whether or not to take part in women’s festivals. However, the<jats:sc>XV</jats:sc><jats:italic>viri</jats:italic>commanded that 110 married women (<jats:italic>matronae</jats:italic>) perform rituals (supplications and sacrifices) on the Capitoline. This article argues for the novelty of such a custom, in that it was a new form of top-down appeal to<jats:italic>matronae</jats:italic>to honor the gods in public festivals. The article also argues for the centrality of rituals of the<jats:italic>matronae</jats:italic>in the festival. At the<jats:italic>ludi saeculares</jats:italic>, the cooperation between men (the<jats:sc>XV</jats:sc><jats:italic>viri</jats:italic>) and<jats:italic>matronae</jats:italic>was ritually staged and seen as indispensable for ensuring the continuity of Rome.</jats:p>