NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Roman triumph

A Roman Triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly honour the military commander (dux) of a notably successful foreign war or campaign and to display the glories of Roman victory. Only men of senatorial rank could perform a triumph and be a triumphator. The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator. ... A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. ... i rule:Forum Romanum panorama 2. ... Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to lead) and could refer to anyone who commanded troops, such as tribal leaders. ... The only atomic weapons ever used in war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan by the United States on August 9, 1945, effectively ending World War II. The bombs over Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki immediately killed over 120,000 people. ...

In order to receive a triumph, the dux must: 1. Win a significant victory over a foreign enemy, killing at least 5,000 enemy troops. 2. Be an elected magistrate with the power of imperium, i.e. a consul or a praetor. 3. Bring the army home, signifying that the war was over and that the army was no longer needed. Of course this only applied to the Republican era when the army was a citizen army. By the imperial period, when the army was professional, the proper triumph was reserved for the emperor and his family. If a general was awarded a triumph by the emperor, he would march with a token amount of his troops. 4. In the Republican period, the senate had to give approval for a triumph based on the above mentioned requirements.

The ceremony consisted of a spectacular parade, opened by the chiefs of conquered peoples (afterwards executed in the Tullianum), followed by wagons of gold and other valuable spoils captured during the campaign (including slaves), musicians, dancers, placards drawn with scenes of the war, then came the victorious general at the head of his troops (in the late republic and imperial times it was only a token body of troops rather than the entire army). It was a concrete exhibit of the spoils brought to the patrimony of Senatus Populusque Romanus (S.P.Q.R.). For other uses, see Parade (disambiguation). ... The Mamertine Prison (also referred to as the Tullianum) was a prison (Carcer) located in the Forum Romanum in Ancient Rome. ... See also the SPQR series of murder mystery novels and the SPQR board game. ...

Detail from the Arch of Titus showing a triumph after the Sack of Jerusalem in 78.

The triumphator rode on a biga, a chariot pulled by two white horses. A slave behind the triumphator held a laurel crown over his head (not touching it). Notably, this slave had to repeat continuously "Memento mori." ("Remember thou art mortal.") The ceremony's origin, though shrouded by antiquity, perhaps derives from earlier Etruscan rituals. sack of jerusalem on inside wall ot arch of titus in rome, italy This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... sack of jerusalem on inside wall ot arch of titus in rome, italy This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Detail from the Arch of Titus showing spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem The Arch of Titus is a triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Via Sacra just to the south-east of the Forum in Rome. ... Combatants Roman Empire Jews of Judea Commanders Titus Flavius Vespasianus Simon Bar-Giora Yohanan mi-Gush Halav (John of Gischala) Eleazar ben Simon Strength 70,000 men 13,000 men, split among three factions Casualties Unknown 60,000â€“1,100,000 (mass civilian casualties) Main article: First Jewish-Roman War... For other uses, see number 78. ... Biga is a term that has several meanings: The Latin word for chariot is biga. ... Hittite chariot (drawing of an Egyptian relief) Approximate historical map of the spread of the chariot, 2000 â€“500 BC. A chariot is a two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 nugget For other uses, see Horse (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... Binomial name Laurus nobilis L. The Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae), also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, or just Laurel, is an evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10â€“18 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region. ... A crown is a symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a god, for whom the crown is traditionally one of the symbols of power and legitimacy (See Regalia for a broader treatment). ... Momento mori is a Latin phrase that may be freely translated as Remember that you are mortal, Remember you will die, or Remember your death. It names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely from one another, but which all share the same purpose, which is to remind people... The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ...

The parade followed a precise route in the streets of Rome, starting outside the Servian Walls of the city, in the Campus Martius on the western bank of the Tiber. The triumphator would then cross the pomerium into the city through the Via Triumphalis (which centuries later was reopened as the current Via dei Fori Imperiali by Benito Mussolini so that he, too, could march in triumph) and travel along the Via Sacra into the Forum Romanum. The triumph reached its climax at the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline, where the triumphing general offered laurels of victory to the god. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus â€“ SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Area - City Proper 1285 kmÂ² Population - City (2004) - Metropolitan - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Large section of the Servian Wall visible next to the railway station of Termini. ... The Campus Martius, or Field of Mars, was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 km² (600 acres) in extent. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third-longest river in Italy at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that cross the suburbs of... The pomerium (or pomoerium) was the sacred boundary of the city of Rome. ... Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 â€“ April 28, 1945) led Italy from 1922 to 1943. ... The Via Sacra is also known as the Sacred Road in Rome. ... Roman Forum with Palatine Hill in the background. ... Jupiter et ThÃ©tis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... The Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus Mons), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the famous seven hills of Rome, the site of a temple for the Capitoline Triad: the gods Jupiter, his wife Juno and their daughter Minerva. ... Genera Many; see text The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. ...

To better celebrate the triumph, a monument was sometimes erected. This is the origin of the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine, not far from the Colosseum, or perhaps near a battle site as is the case for the Tropaeum Traiani. Also, the monumental Meta Sudans was erected by the Flavians to mark the point where the triumph route turned from the Via Triumphalis into the Via Sacra and the Forum. Detail from the Arch of Titus showing spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem The Arch of Titus is a triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Via Sacra just to the south-east of the Forum in Rome. ... The Arch of Constantine seen from the Colosseum The arch seen from Via Triumphalis Detail of the arch (southern side, left) The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. ... The Colosseum in Rome, Italy: an exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... Tropaeum Traiani Tropaeum Traiani is a monument in Adamclisi, Romania. ... The Arch of Constantine seen from the Colosseum. ... The Flavian dynasty was a series of three Roman Emperors who ruled from 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, to 96, when the last member was assassinated. ...

After the establishment of the Principate, only members of the Imperial family were awarded with triumphs. Other citizens were awarded with Ornamenta triumphalia (triumphal regalia), so that the Imperial familiy could better keep hold on avenues to power and advancement. The Principate is, according to its etymological derivation from the Latin word princeps, meaning chief or first, the political regime dominated by such a head of state and government. ...

Flavius Belisarius was the last person to receive a triumph (ostensibly "sitting in" for Emperor Justinian I), in recognition for his victory over the Vandals. It was held in Constantinople. Belisarius, by Jacques-Louis David (1781); the depiction is now believed to be fictionalized. ... Justinian I depicted on one of the famous mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... Constantinople[1] was the name of the modern-day city of Ä°stanbul, Turkey over the centuries that it served as the second capital of the unified Roman Empire, and after its division into East and West, of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire (from the city...