Corona triumphalis
The Corona triumphalis was a laurel wreath in the Roman Empire , which was considered the highest honor of a general . The general wore them on the triumphal procession and also had the right to wear them at public events.
During the triumphal procession, the triumphator wore the corona triumphalis and held an ivory scepter with a golden eagle. He was dressed in a tunica palmata (a purple tunic embroidered with palmettes) and a toga picta (purple toga embroidered with gold stars).
While the triumphant wore the wreath made of fresh laurel branches ( corona triumphalis ) on his head, a state-owned slave was holding a solid gold wreath made of oak leaves ( corona etrusca ) over his head. The corona Etrusca was the insignia of the Capitoline Iuppiter Optimus Maximus and was not allowed to be worn directly on the head by anyone. It was the sole prerogative of the triumphant general, in his role as the earthly incarnation of the Father of Gods, to lead the corona Etrusca in his triumphal chariot (currus triumphalis) .
The golden variant of the corona laurea was then derived from the corona triumphalis . The honor of being allowed to wear one was granted to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus for the first time . The dictator Gaius Iulius Caesar was also granted this right, but he was never (as sometimes claimed) given the corona Etrusca . Augustus was also given the honor of the golden corona laurea based on these two models . Since then, the golden laurel wreath has become a permanent insignia of the Roman Empire. The Roman emperors also wore the corona civica as a symbol of their dignity. This was probably not made of solid gold, in order to avoid the resemblance to the Corona Etrusca , instead the oak leaves were apparently only adorned with gold decorations and jewels. The imperial corona laurea must not be confused with the military decoration of the corona aurea (gold crown), because this was a gold ring with a bay leaf pattern.
literature
- Hendrik Simon Versnel : Triumphus. An Inquiry Into the Origin, Development and Meaning of the Roman Triumph. Brill, Leiden 1970, pp. 72-78 (Simultaneously: Leiden, Univ., Diss., 1970).