Decennalia
The Decennalia (from Latin decennium "decade"; decem "ten" and annus "year", German mostly Decennalia ) were festivities in ancient Rome at which the ten-year reign of an emperor was celebrated.
origin
The Decennalia were celebrated for the first time under Emperor Augustus . This took place in the year 27 BC. The rule for a period of ten years, because he wanted to show the senators that he was ready to renounce power. This time was initially seen as the new beginning of the old order, because Augustus apparently returned the power of decision to the senators and the people. His successor and adopted son Tiberius also celebrated the Decennalia in AD 24 and repeated this ten years later in AD 34. They were referred to as decennalia prima and decennalia altera . The ten-year anniversary became a tradition for the subsequent emperors. From the 3rd century on, the decennalia altera was renamed vicennalia (from the Latin vicennium "twenty years").
The party
At the beginning of the ten-year period, vows were made. At the end of this time, the oaths were fulfilled and were renewed. These vows were called vota decennalia .
The celebrations for the Decennalia were about the well-being and the integrity of the reigning emperor. Both victoria and providentia deorum have been associated with the festivity. In addition, as Cassius Dio reports on the anniversary of Septimius Severus , there were festivals with all kinds of pomp and performances for the curious crowd. Decennalia were mentioned on coins from Antoninus Pius and can be traced back to the middle of the 5th century. Sacrifices made during the festivities were depicted on the reliefs of the Decennalia base in the Roman Forum . Numerous inscriptions testify to the decennials of various emperors, the last one that survived is the decennial of Theodosius I in 389.
literature
- Gérard Freyburger: Decennalia. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 3, Metzler, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-476-01473-8 , column 343 f.
- Georg Wissowa : Decennalia. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IV, 2, Stuttgart 1901, Col. 2265-2267 ( digitized version ).
