The Neapolitani Games or Ludi Neapolitani were established in the year AD 2 to honour the Emperor Augustus. A dedicatory inscription mentioning the erection of a temple in honour of Emperor Augustus in the city of Neapolis has been found at Olympia, the Greek city where the games dedicated to Zeus took place.The Neapolitan Games were held every five years until the 3rd century. The games included several disciplines, from boxing and the pentathlon to running and equestrian events, as well as competitions in acting and singing.
During the excavation of the temple some 800 fragments of marble lists inscribed with the names of the winning athletes of the Neapolitan Games were also discovered. The remains of the temple itself, which has only been partially excavated, will adorn the hall of the new metro station1.
