decennalia
Sign in to saveAlso known as decennia, jubilee, Jubilee, 10-year jubilee, ten-year jubilee, decennial, decennials
Decennalia or Decennia (Latin for "10th Anniversary") were Ancient Roman festivals celebrated with games every ten years by the Roman emperors.
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3 sectionsContents
- Decennalia base
- Other significant ancient Roman holidays
- References
Decennalia or Decennia (Latin for "10th Anniversary") were Ancient Roman festivals celebrated with games every ten years by the Roman emperors.
The festival owed its origin to the fact that in 27 BC, Augustus refused the supreme power offered to him for life but would consent to accepting power only for ten years. During the festival, he would surrender all of his authority to the hands of the people, who were filled with joy and, charmed with the goodness of Augustus, immediately delivered it back to him again. The memory was preserved to the last ages of the empire by Decennalia, which was solemnised by subsequent emperors every tenth year of their reign, although they had received the imperium for life, not for the limited period of ten years.