Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1 G64 TRIUMPHUJS. TRIUMPHJS.
Such displays have been so universal aniong all or of praetor. (Liv. xxviii. 38, xxxi. 20.) IIenco
warlike tribes from the earliest times, and are so a triumph was not allowed to P. Scipio after lihe
immediately connected with some of the strongest had expelled the Carthaginians from Spain, because
passions of the human heart, that it would be as'he had commanded in that province' sine ullo
useless as it is impossible to trace their origin his- magistratu." (Val. Miax. ii. 8. ~ 5; Liv. I.c.)
torically. It is scarcely necessary to advert to the The honouirs granted to Pompey, who triumphed
fancies of those ancient writers, who refer their first in his 24th year (n.c. 81), before he had held
institution to the mythic conquests of Bacchus in any of the great offices of state, and again ten
the East (Diodor. iv. 5; Plin. H. N. vii. 57), nor years afterwards, while still a simple eques, were
need we attach much importance to the connection altogether unprecedented. (Liv. Epit. 89; Cic.
between triumzphus and apiauyeos, according to the preo Leg. Alanz. 21; Vell. Pat. ii. 30; Val. Max.
etymology doubtingly proposed by Varro (L. L. vi. viii. 15. ~ 8; Plut. Posnp. 12, 22; Dion Cass.
68, ed. MiUller). Rejoicings after a victory, ac- xxxvi. 8.)
companied by processions of the soldiery with their 2. That the magistrate should have been actually
plunder, must have been coeval with the existence ill office both when the victory was gained and
of the Romans as a nation, and accordingly the when the triumph was to be celebrated. This rereturn of Romulus with spolia opima after he had gulation was insisted upon only during the earlier
defeated the Caeninenses and slain Acro their king, ages of the commonwealth. Its violation comis described by Dionysius (ii. 34; compare Prop. inenced with Q. Publilius Philo, the first person to
iv. 1. 32) with all the attributes of a regular whom the senate ever granted a " prorogatio imtriumph. Plutarch (Rom. 16) admits that this peril" after the termination of a magistracy (Liv.
event was the origin of and first step towards the viii. 26), and thenceforward proconsuls and protriumph of after times, but censures Dionysius for praetors were permitted to triumph without question
the statement that Romulus made his entrance in (Liv. xxxix. 45, xl. 25, 34), although for a consia quadriga, which he considers disproved by the derable time the event was of rare occurrence. It
fact that all the triumphal (Trpo7ratoed'povs) statues was long held, however, that it was necessary for
of that king, as seen in his day, represented him on the " prorogatio imperii" to follow immediately
foot. He adds that Tarquiniuns Priscus, according upon the termination of the magistracy, for a
to some, or Poplicola, according to others, first triumph was refused to L. Lentulus, who succeeded
triumphed in a chariot; and in corroboration of this P. Scipio in Spain, on the ground that, although
awe find that the first triumph recorded by Livy he had been formerly praetor, his imperium had
(i. 38; compare Flor. i. 5; Eutrop. i. 6) is that over not been continued uninterruptedly from the period
the Sabines by Tarquinius, who according to Ver- when the command expired, but had been renewed
rius (Plin. I.N. xxxiii. 19) wore upon this oc- "extra ordinem" after a lapse of some years.
casion a robe of cloth or gold. Whatever conclusion (Liv. xxxi. 20.) But towards the close of the
we may form upon these points, it is certain that republic this principle was entirely abandoned.
from the first dawn of authentic history down to Consuls and praetors seldom quitted the city until
the extinction of liberty a regular triumph (justus their term of office had ceased, and when at any
trilumnpAsus) was recognized as the summit of military subsequent period they entered upon the governlglory, and was the cherished object of ambition to ment of a province, either in regular rotation or
every Roman general. A triumph might be granted " extra ordinem," they enjoyed the full status and
for successful achievements either by land or sea, all the privileges of proconsuls and propraetors.
but the latter were comparatively so rare that we The position of Pompey when sent against the
shall for the present defer the consideration of the pirates and afterwards against Mithridates, and of
naval triumph. Cicero when lie went to Cilicia, will be sufficient
After any decisive battle had been won, or a to illustrate this without multiplying examples.
province subdued by a series of successful opera- 3. That the war should have been prosecuted
tions, the Imperator forwarded to the senate a or the battle fought under the auspices and in the
laurel-wreathed despatch (literae laureatac, Zonar. province and with the troops of the general seekvii. 21; Liv. xlvi. 1; Plin. H. N. xv. 40) con- ing the triumph (Liv. xxxi. 48, xxxiv. 10; Val.
taining an account of his exploits. If the intelli- Max. ii. 8. ~ 2), and hence the triumph of tile
genrce proved satisfactory the senate decreed a public praetor Furius (Liv. xxxi. 49) was considered ir-.
thanksgiving. [SUPPLICATIO.] This supplication regular and imperfect. Thus if a victory was
vwas so frequently the forerunner of a triumph, that gainled by the legatus of a general who was absent
Cato thinks it necessary to remind Cicero that it from the army, the honour of it did not belong to
was not invariably so. (Cic. ad Fams. xv. 5.) After the former, but to the latter, inasmuch as he had
the war was concluded the general with his army the auspices.
repaired to Rome, or ordered his army to meet him 4. That at least 5000 of the enemy should have
there on a given day, but did not enter the city. been slain in a single battle (Val. Max. ii. 8. ~ 1),
A meeting of the senate was held without the that the advantage should have been positive and
walls, usually in the temple of Bellona (e.g. Liv. not merely a colnpensation for some previous disxxvi. 21, xxxvi. 39) or Apollo (Liv. xxxix. 4), aster (Oros. v. 4). and that the loss on the part of
that he might have an opportunity of urging his the Romans should have been small compared with
pretensions in person, and these were then scru- that of their adversaries. (Liv. xxxiii. 22.) By a
tinized and discussed with the most jealous care. law of the tribunes L. Marius and M. Cato penalThe following rules and restrictions were.for the ties were imposed upon all Imperatores who should
most part rigidly enforced, although the senate be found guilty of havincr made false returns to the
assumed the discretionary power of relaxing them senate, and it was ordained that so soon as they
in special cases. returned to the city they should be required to
1. That - no one could be permitted to triumph attest the correctness of such documents upon oath
unless he had held the office of dictator, of consul, before the city quaestor. (Val. Max. 1. c.) It is