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The ancient Romans were almost as fond of customs as they were of celebrations, even more so when it came to matters military, imperial, or religious. Particularly notable were certain events that blended all of the above attributes. Among such special events were those related to the Augustus’ travels, including the adventus, a city’s celebration for an arriving Augustus.
The ancient Romans borrowed the adventus concept from the ancient Greeks, who raised a tradition of receiving their rulers and other important personages with great fanfare. The Romans outdid their Greek predecessors in that they also considered their Emperors to be divine. Therefore, the adventus represented not just than a civil duty, but a religious ceremony worthy of an arriving god. Even if the Emperor was not overtly proclaimed as a god, there was still a heightened aura around his person and actions, invoking a divine presence. An Emperor newly entering into a city was considered as a benefactor, savior, and lord; indeed, the visiting Augustus would typically hold an audience where he would hear and grant —or deny — the city’s various requests. Such proceedings were often rife with religious overtones, particularly when paganism was widely practiced across the Empire.
The mechanics of the adventus were straightforward. If the city had been given advance notice, its streets and temples would be decorated with flowers and banners. The approaching Emperor would be met outside the city, usually in a pre-approved venue by a delegation headed by the city’s dignitaries. Of course, the Emperor never travelled alone, on road trips he was usually accompanied by a huge number of guards and soldiers, not to mention imperial family members. Thus, the city’s welcoming committee came fully ladened and catered to all, bearing flowers, olive and palm branches, torches, incense and even holy statues and idols. After the pre-welcoming festivities, the delegation accompanied their Emperor and his esteemed guests back into the city, whereupon more earnest welcoming ensued. To this end, the welcoming agenda progressed to more elaborate festivities such as singing, theatre presentations, and praiseful speeches referred to as panegyrics. Not uncommonly, these events were held over several days, including games at the circus or other venues wherein distributions of grain or money were doled out to the locals.
The adventus blended not only imperial and religious, but also military aspects. This final element was borrowed from the Roman’s custom of the triumph, or the celebration granted to a victorious general upon entering the eternal city. The general’s visit would eventually bring him to the local temple of Jupiter to give praise (and this tradition also became part of the adventus, at least until the promotion of Christianity by Constantine I). Ever since Augustus, triumphs were reserved only for Rome’s supreme general — the Emperor — and aspects of the triumph melded into the adventus ceremony.
The adventus required careful planning and a certain balance in order to achieve optimal execution. If the adulations were too extreme, the Augustus could be marked as a tyrant. On the other extreme, an insufficient adoration would prove highly uncomfortable for both parties involved. This equilibrium provides an interesting insight into the Roman Empire, specifically regarding the Augustus’ power. The Emperor required absolute devotion and obedience; even so, if he went too far, or otherwise disaffected his subjects, he risked losing that rule, especially during the calamitous 3rd century AD. Therefore, the Emperor himself had to achieve a certain balance, in order to win and preserve totalitarian rule. In reciprocation, the Augustus’ subjects needed to appropriately dole out their exultations. To this end, cities all over the Empire strived to host the perfectly balanced party upon their Emperor's arrived.
In was also tradition for the host city to strike special coins promoting an adventus. Such issues provided further, wonderfully appropriate honor for the arriving Emperor, as well further honor for the issuers. If nothing else, such coinage advertised the city’s ability to host a (presumably successful) adventus. This relatively rare ancient coin is one example, struck by Siscians to celebrate their 277 AD adventus party for Augustus Probus (232-282 AD). The obverse depiction of Probus’ radiate and mantled visage, replete with an eagle-tipped scepter, invites divine interpretation. The verso portrays the Emperor on horseback, holding a scepter in one hand, and raising his other to greet the adoring adventus delegation. Below him, a bound captive appears to be the verge of being trampled, demonstrating the Augustus’ military prowess (and prompting comparison to the fallen horseman motif popularized on later coinage of later, Constantinian dynasts, as shown elsewhere within this collection. The reverse inscription, ADVENTUS AVG, provides historical context. Augustus Probus travelled extensively during his reign, repelling enemies at various corners of his realm. Consequently, a number of interesting adventus issues exist for Probus, struck not only in Sisica, but also other imperial cities across the Empire such as Lugdunum, Serdica, Cyzicus, and, of course, Rome. Such issues reveal critical nuances of Probus’ reign, underscoring the vital role of ancient coins as historical artifacts.
Additional Reading: S MacCormack, “Change and Continuity in Late Antiquity: The Ceremony of Adventus," Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 1972, pp. 721-752.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Probus, AD 276-282, BI Aurelianianus (22mm, 3.43 g, 6h), Siscia mint, 3rd officina, 2nd emission, AD 277, NGC Grade: Ch MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Radiate and mantled bust left, holding eagle-tipped scepter, Reverse: Probus riding horse left, raising hand and holding scepter; to lower left, bound captive seated left; Γ//XXI, References: RIC V 624; Alföldi, Siscia V type 6, –; Pink VI/1 p. 47.
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