Site Library Library of Rome
Search Articles:
Princeps Saturnalicius
Associated to Place: articles -- by * Senex Caecilius (44 Articles), Historical Article 1 Featured December 20 , 2009
The celebration of the Saturnalia includes the selection of a princeps Saturnalicius, a mock king who presides over the festivities in each household.
Princeps Saturnalicius
jester's cap
Holiday Pranks of Senex Caecilius

The celebration of the Saturnalia includes the selection of a princeps Saturnalicius by casting lots or other form of sortition. His command is law, whether to dance naked, to sing, to suffer a dunking in icy water, or to lift up a flute girl. Any member of the familia might be chosen, so the holiday could be ruled by a female, a freedman, a child, or a slave.

The Lord of Misrule is likely the medieval heir of the office held by the princeps Saturnalicius during Roman times. He was appointed to be in charge of Christmas revelries, called the Feast of Fools (festum fatuorum), which often included drunkenness and wild partying, in the pagan tradition of Saturnalia.

Some traditions that appear in the celebration of Epiphany (January 6) may be a holdover of choosing the Lord of Misrule. For example, baking a trinket inside the king cake occurs in in various countries.

Here are a few innocent activities for you to choose.

  • Try a tongue twister in Latin.
  • Kiss a pig on the snout.
  • Sing a song in karaoke style.
  • Play a game of "Master, May I?"
  • Flirt with a flute player of your desire.
  • Tell a joke of the "Knock, Knock" variety.
  • Practice a prank as the princeps.
  • Recite a poem of your choice.
  • Strike a pose of your preference.

    • Here are a few sites about jokes and pranks in ancient Rome.

  • A collection of tongue twisters in Latin contains some written by classical authors as well as more contemporary ones.
  • An article about Roman jokes in Wikipedia provides a few from classical authors.
  • A website about daily life in the time of the emperor Hadrian contains some puns and other jokes.
  • An entry in a blog by Mary Beard entitled What Made the Romans Laugh? cites examples from classical authors.
  • An archive of PDF files provides extensive examples of Ioci Antiqvi compiled by Michael Hendry.


    		•   Bibliotheca
    Posted Dec 12, 2009 - 15:44 , Last Edited: Dec 18, 2010 - 11:22











    Copyright 2002-2011 AncientWorlds LLC | Code of Conduct and Terms of Service | Contact Us! | The AncientWorlds Staff