The ceremony would commence outside the
walls of Rome, on the western bank of the Tiber River. The “triumphal
entry” would enter the city of Rome by means of a gate that was only opened for
these specific occasions. The procession would not only include the army
and the spoils of war, but it could also be replete with floats that depicted
battles won and groups of captives consisting of enemy soldiers and famous leaders
of the now vanquished foe. Naturally, this can be recognized as the
forerunner to what is generally thought of as a modern parade. At the
head, or sometimes at the center of all of this would be the celebrant, as
cheering crowds often showered him with flowers. A winding path would be
followed through the city, with this path known as the “sacred way.”
The climax of the procession would
occur at Capitoline Hill. There, in devotion to Jupiter, white bulls
would be sacrificed to Jupiter. On some occasions, the vanquished leader
of Rome’s enemy would be slain before the eyes of the cheering masses.
Then, if the celebrant was a general (rather than the emperor), he would enter
into the temple of Jupiter so as to offer his laurel wreath (his celebratory crown)
to the god, doing so in order to signal that he had no intentions of becoming
the king of Rome. With this portion of the ceremony brought to a close,
the temples were kept open, incense was burned at the altars, soldiers would
disperse throughout the city in order to properly celebrate, and a great
banquet would be provided for the citizens of Rome.
If one was to take
the position of a spectator of the Roman “triumph,” and found himself in a
position to view the entirety of the procession and offer a description of what
was being seen, with this sight fused with knowledge of what all would take
place in association with the procession and the symbolism at work by what was
being seen, and then offered a report on what we witnessed, it might go something
like this: “I was so excited for the events that were about to unfold before my
eyes. Truly this was a banner day for Rome and its glory. From what
I understood, the war had been fierce. Some thought it would never end,
but eventually the general triumphed. There were some rumors that Caesar
intervened and took command of the army, directing it to its victory, and I can
believe it; but if he did, he’s allowing the general to receive all the credit
and be the subject of today’s ‘triumph.’
So even though this
general was being honored today, and even though we eventually looked to him as
a ‘god for a day,’ or ‘king for a day,’ there was a bit of an undercurrent
amongst the populace that it should have been the Caesar himself riding at the
head of this procession. Along those lines, it’s interesting that, with
all he has done for the empire, it’s the Caesar that is truly responsible for
the victory that was celebrated here today, but he has never once insisted upon
his own ‘triumph.’ What humility. It tends to make one think
that he truly is a son of the gods.’
I had a great
seat. I could not believe it when Caesar himself sent a royal messenger
to bring me to the place from which I could watch the whole thing. Then,
when I was asked to write an account of it, from the people’s point of view,
well, wow! How could I refuse? Me, of all people. It was all
a bit overwhelming. I was so stunned by the news that I think I
fainted. I could have kissed the messenger’s feet, but he wouldn’t let
me. I was day-dreaming, thinking about my good fortune, and I almost
missed the beginning of the parade. It’s a good thing I came to myself
when I did. That would not have been a good thing.
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