Gift-giving, feasting, ill-advised excessive drinking...these all sound pretty familiar in the context of festivals and public holidays. But the ancient Romans really took it to the next level - giant phalluses, naked priests, people dressed as goats... Join us for the season finale as we take a good look at the colourful topic of Roman festivals, via this selection of contemporary sources:

- Fasti Antiates Maiores (the oldest surviving Roman calendar - see the first link below and also the close up photos we've posted on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook)

- Ovid, Fasti Book 5 (3rd May - Floralia)

- Ovid , Fasti Book 5 (9th May - Lemuria)

- Plutarch, Life of Caesar, 61.1-4

Suggestions for further reading if you fancy:

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/antiates.html

https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/roman-religion/roman-feasts/amp/

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/lupercalia

"The Sensory Experience of Blood Sacrifice in the Roman Imperial Cult" (Candace Weddle, 2013)