Abstract:
The Roman triumph is perhaps the best known example of an ancient society's desire to celebrate victory in war. The fundamental ideology of the early triumph is inextricably connected to the style of warfare present in Latium and Central Italy during the sixth and fifth centuries BC. The earliest focus of scholars studying the archaic triumph was the evident political aspects of the ritual. Most notably, Mommsen presented one of the first coherent arguments concerning the early triumph where he argued for the importance of imperium, or the legal right to command an army, as the defining factor of the ritual. The final act of the triumph, is reasonably easy to identify and involved the dedication of a portion of the spoils to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. The early Roman triumph was clearly a multifaceted ritual, with a wide range of functions and connotations in the economic, ritual and military spheres.