The Romanconception of the saeculum ("age" or "generation")became chargedwith political significancefrom the Late Republic onward. The saeculum was linked with imperial authority duringthe reign of Augustus with his foundation of the ludi saeculares ("Saecular Games"). Augustus recalculated the saeculum and created anew chronologyfor his Games, which celebrated the princeps' ability to leadRome into anew eraofpeace and prosperity through divine favour and the establishment of his dynasty.L ater

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... emperors legitimised their political authority by utilising what Ic all "saeculum rhetoric" in official contexts across ar angeo fm edia. By the end of the second century ce,C hristian authorsh ad started developing an ew rhetoric that redefined the saeculum as "this present world",incontrast with expectation of eternal life in a "world to come." This surveyr eveals that in Romanc onceptions of time, the saeculum was not used as a tool for formal periodisation or commemoration, nor can it be categorised using strict dichotomies (e. g. linear/cyclical time, progress/regress). The saeculum is best understood by observing its original ritual context,w hich emphasised abovea ll the beginning of an emperor'sr eign through competition with the past and promises for ab ountiful future. Note: Thisc hapterw as completed witht he generouss upport of the GerdaH enkel Stiftungand Somerville College, Oxford. Iamgrateful to RichardFaure and the anonymous reviewersfor their many helpful comments and suggestions. Allt ranslations are my own.