Page:The history of Rome. Translated with the author's sanction and additions.djvu/492

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growth of art, and of poetic art especially, in antiquity was intimately associated with the development of national festivals. The extraordinary thanksgiving-festival of the Roman community which had been organized in the previous period mainly under Greek influence, the ludi maximi, or Romani (P. 235), acquired during the present epoch a longer duration, and greater variety in the amusements. Originally limited to one day, the festival was prolonged by an additional day after the happy termination of each of the three great revolutions of, , and , and thus at the close of this period it had already a duration of four days.

A still more important circumstance was, that, probably on the institution of the curule ædileship which was from