Triumph

The Roman triumph was one of the most important events in society. After an important Roman victory, an enormous procession of soldiers would parade through the streets of Rome. Led by their general, the soldiers celebrated the achieved victory. After the exposition of the spoils, the victorious general followed on the quadriga, a chariot with four horses.

The Roman triumph was one of the most important events in society. After an important Roman victory, an enormous procession of soldiers would parade through the streets of Rome. Led by their general, the soldiers celebrated the achieved victory. After the exposition of the spoils, the victorious general followed on the quadriga, a chariot with four horses.

The triumphal procession ended with a sacrifice at the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline hill. On our coin, we have the final stage of such a triumph. The figure you see on the reverse represents the victorious general Marcellus, consecrating the spoils to Jupiter. The sacrifice was not performed in the usual temple dedicated to Jupiter but in another one on the Capitoline hill, namely the temple of Jupiter Feretrius. Much concerning the temple and the cult of Jupiter Feretrius is still unclear to modern day historians and archeologists while its exact location remains to be found. The place of sacrifice had changed because the consecrated object was special and extremely rare. It was the most prestigious one there could be: the spolia opima, the armor of the enemy commander. Only when the enemy commander was personally killed in battle by the Roman general, was his armor allowed to be consecrated. Looking at the Roman obsession for military successes and the extreme rareness of the spolia opima, a consecration like this was very prestigious and made Marcellus a Roman hero.