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TRIUMPH TRIUMPHAL ARCH. 



sea god. In the war of the gods with the giants, 

 he put the latter to flight by blowing his shell. 

 Homer does not mention him, but Hesiod speaks of 

 him as the powerful. He appears at first merely as 

 the god of the Libyan lake Triton, but was after- 

 wards represented as one of the inferior deities of 

 the sea in general ; and finally, we find mention 

 made of many Tritons, who were half man, half 

 fish, and upon whom the Nereids rode. 



TRIUMPH. One of the most splendid specta- 

 cles of ancient Rome, and the highest reward of 

 victorious generals, was the triumphal procession. 

 The triumphs were of two kinds the great tri- 

 umph, and the ovation, or inferior triumph. Both 

 i-ould be celebrated only by order of the senate, 

 with the consent of the people, and the former only 

 by a dictator, consul or praetor, who had gained a 

 victory over a foreign and free enemy, in a just war 

 carried on under his command (suit auspiciis) : it 

 was likewise necessary that at least 5000 of the 

 enemy should have fallen in open fight. Accord- 

 ing to the lex Portia triumphalis, the general was 

 required to appear, at the head of his urmy, before 

 Rome (ad urbem), and present it to the senate, as- 

 sembled in the temple of Bellona. The spectacle then 

 began as soon as he had received permission to tri- 

 umph from the senate and people. First, the triumph- 

 ing general, in his triumphal robes, bearing a laurel 

 branch in his hand, distributed, in the presence of the 

 assembled people, money, marks of honour, brace- 

 lets, lances and garlands among his soldiers. The 

 whole senate then went out to meet the victor, who, 

 being seated in a gilded chariot, usually drawn by 

 white horses, clad in a purple tunic (tunica palma- 

 ta) and an embroidered toga (toga picta), crowned 



with a laurel wreath, and bearing an ivory sceptre, 

 with the eagle, in his hand, moved, with the pro- 

 cession, from the campus Martins through the 

 streets, decorated with festive ornaments, to the 

 capitol. Singers and musicians preceded, followed 

 by choice victims, highly adorned, by the spoils, by 

 the emblems of the conquered provinces and cities, 

 and finally, by the captive princes or generals, in 

 chains. Next came the victor (triumphator), fol- 

 lowed by his relations and friends, and a long train 

 of citizefts, in festal garments, and uttering accla- 

 mations. Lastly followed the victorious army, on 

 foot, and on horseback, crowned with laurel, an< 



adorned with the marks of distinction which they 

 had received, shouting lo triumphc, and singing 

 songs of victory, or of sportive raillery. It was 

 an old and touching custom for a slave to stand 

 close behind the triumphing general, bearing a gold 

 crown set with precious stones in his hand, and re- 

 peating to him the solemn words, " Remember that 

 thou art a man 1" Upon the capitol, the general 

 rendered public thanks to the gods for the victory, 

 caused the victims to be slaughtered, and dedicated 

 the crown and a part of the spoils to Jupiter. He 

 then gave a great feast, and, in the evening, the 

 people accompanied him home with torches and ac- 

 clamations. It is not, therefore, to be wondered 

 at, that every Roman aspired to the honour of a 

 triumph, and considered it the highest distinction 

 to be esteemed worthy of it. A commander who 

 had gained a victory at sea, was honoured with 11 

 naval triumph (triumphus Tiavalis"). Duillius was 

 the first who received that honour, in consequence 

 of his victory over the Carthaginians. Those who 

 had once triumphed (viri triumphales) continued to 

 enjoy some marks of distinction, such as a place of 

 honour on public occasions, &c. In the ovation 

 (so called, as is supposed, from ovis (sheep), because 

 a sheep was sacrificed on the occasion), the general 

 entered the city on horseback or on foot, wore a 

 toya prcetexta, and was crowned with myrtle. It 

 was celebrated with less pomp than the triumph, 

 and was granted when the victory was not of the 

 kind prescribed as worthy of a triumph. From the 

 time of Augustus, few triumphs were celebrated, 

 and those only by the emperors : to the private 

 generals trophies were given. 



TRIUMPHAL ARCH; a monument consisting 

 of a grand portico or archway, erected at the en- 

 trance of a town, in its principal street, upon a 

 bridge, or in a public road, to the glory of some 

 celebrated general, or in memory of some impor- 

 tant event. Several triumphal arches appear to 

 have been erected with the double purpose of 

 serving as monuments to the glory of the 

 chieftain whose name they bear, and as gates of 

 the town to which they belong. The invention 

 of these structures is attributable to the Romans. 

 The earliest specimens* are destitute of any mag- 

 nificence. For a long time, they consisted merely 

 of a plain arch, at the top of which were placed 

 the trophies and the statue of the triumpher. 

 Subsequently, the span was enlarged, the style en- 

 riched, and a profusion of all kinds of ornaments 

 heaped on them. The triumphal arches varied 

 greatly in point of construction, form and decora- 

 tion. Those existing at the present day are of 

 three very distinct species r First, those which 

 consist but of a single arch, such as that of Titus 

 at Rome, (see Plate IV.) of Trajan at Ancona, &c. ; 

 secondly, those which are formed of two arches or 

 arcades, such as those of Verona, &c., which appear 

 to have formed, at the same time, gates for the 

 town ; thirdly, the species composed of three 

 arcades, the centre being the principal or grand arch, 

 and the others at each side much smaller. The 

 arch known to us as that of Constantine is the best 

 preserved of all the great antique arches. The 

 arch of Septimius Severus, placed at the foot of the 

 Capitoline hill, and also partly buried, greatly re- 

 sembles that of Constantine. The arch of Titus ia 

 the next most considerable in Rome, after these 

 two. The arch of Benevento, erected in honour 

 of Trajan, is one of the most remarkable relics of 

 antiquity, as well on account of its sculpture* as its 



