This was the first of the three ballets which were used as interval entertainments during performances of Giuseppe Giordani's opera Ariarate. It is likely that it drew on Euripides or Seneca. The second interval ballet was titled Il disertore francese, and the third Feste per l'incoronazione d'Ariarate. Performances took place during the carnival season 1789 (between Christmas and Lent).