Roman Triumphs and Etruscan Kings: The Changing Face of the Triumph

Abstract

The triumph, to a Roman of the later Republic and Empire, seemed sacred and all of a piece. Its venerable antiquity was more important than its origin or development. So on the one hand Roman antiquarians agreed the triumph was as ancient as Romulus himself; and on the other its antiquity was felt to be confirmed rather than impaired by the connection of many details with the Etruscans—though the ancients never claimed, as modern scholars have done, that the institution itself was borrowed from the Etruscans. It was simply neither important nor desirable to pin down precisely the dates or phases of such a hallowed celebration.Of course it is not true that there were no changes. Yet the Roman attitude may have also affected modern historians, who until rather recently have been satisfied with a kind of ‘unitarian’ view of the triumph as something permanent and immutable, untouched by history; discussions of particular problems, such as the alleged divinization of thetriumphatoror the location of theporta triumphalis, have taken very little account of changes in the triumph itself. Many Roman rituals did, indeed, continue practically unchanged, and it is a peculiarity of Roman history that our most reliable documents for the early period are religious festivals celebrated year after year, rather than written records or histories. But the triumph was, more than other religious festivals, a part of the political life at Rome.

A textile workshop to approach Classical civilisation

“…They wore only wool, for linen was linked to death, and they used the oblong knife called secespita for their ritual sacrifices. Augurs and haruspices, who participated in military and civilian life, adapted easily to the evolution in fashion and were only recognised by their trabea, a kind of striped toga (Bonfante Warren, 1970), and the lituus, a small staff curved on top that was used by augurs. 4.…”

“…Centurions, on the other hand, had their crests running from side to side. During triumphal parades, soldiers would be dressed in a similar equipment, only completely white (Bonfante Warren, 1970). 5.…”

Honor and The Performance of Roman State Identity

“…During the years of the Republic, it also signified the relinquishing of the general's military command. Though it evolved and changed over the near thousand years from which archeologists can trace the ritual, certain aspects remained unaltered (Warren 1970). The Triumph was a military procession, similar to a grandiose parade, through the streets of Rome that allowed the Empire's subjects and citizens to witness the spoils of war and celebrate the victorious army and its leader.…”