Acclamatio

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Acclamatio were with the ancient Greeks and Romans shouts that were introduced in the form of a speech choir or rhythmic. It could express praise, applause, joy, but also criticism, rejection or distrust.

Initially, the acclamatio was a spontaneous form of public announcement among the Greeks. In the course of time, however, it became a firmly established ritual that was proclaimed in a given form on certain occasions. A form of the acclamatio can already be found in Homer's Iliad (1, 22). Today some acclamations of popular assemblies and cult associations in Greece are still known.

The earliest forms of acclamatio among the Romans were calls during wedding procession. Possible were for example:

  • Talasse
  • Hymen, Hymenaee io
  • Vale, vale, vale

Since the late Republican period, the acclamatio was the expression of public opinion towards statesmen, the princeps and his family. It was announced , for example, when the person concerned entered the theater, when moving into the city, during the games. Forms of expression were both positive and negative shouts, clapping, hissing and whistling , the transition to applause was often fluid. A successful triumphator , for example, was acclaimed with the exclamation Io Triumphs .

In the art of the imperial era and late antiquity, the acclamatio was one of the formalized types of representation that were used in particular in the image programs of the "historical reliefs". They are marked by the raising of the right hand in the form of the ruler or God. The symbolism was also adopted in medieval art to depict the worship of Christ. Acclamatio scenes can be found for example on the Arch of Constantine , Galerius Arch , Trajan Arch of Benevento and at the base of the Theodosius obelisk .

swell

literature