‘Outlanders’ Saved in the Roman Triumphs: The Fate of Prominent Captives in Rome at the Close of the Republic and in the Principate

Katarzyna BALBUZA

The Department of History of Ancient Societies, Institute of History, Faculty of Historical Studies, Adam-Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89d, room 3.155, 61-614 Poznań, Poland , Poland

Abstract

One of the forms of expression of the Roman ideology of victory in the Principate was a triumph (triumphus curulis), during which barbaric captives, often of a high political status, were exposed. According to the tradition, they should have been put to death during the triumph, which was of ritual and symbolic significance. The analyzed examples of the most prominent foreign captives from the late Republic and Principate show that sentencing the captives to death was much less frequent in the Principate. Thanks to mercy (clementia) shown by the emperors, captives frequently saved their lives. They did not reject an offered chance for further life in the Roman Empire, and they often asked for it. Such an attitude did not have to mean giving up personal dignity. Romans allowed them to function normally in the Roman Empire, to educate, obtain Roman citizenship, further develop according to individual characteristics, and be promoted socially and politically.

Keywords:

captives, Roman triumph, Roman emperor’s clemency (clementia caesaris)