Introduction to Triumphs

What is a triumphal procession, and what is its purpose?

Following their fourth consecutive NCAA national basketball championship in April 2016, the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team embarked on a “victory parade” in order to celebrate their accomplishment and demonstrate their domination in the sport. Such displays, commonly put on in the modern world to commemorate athletic or military victories, had also been a significant aspect of Roman political culture. Emperors developed these ostentatious processions as a means of constructing their image as the “imperial victor” and affirming their powerful rulership over the people.

This concept is reimagined in Petrarch’s 14th century poem I Trionfi. Petrarch, who had expressed significant interest in the classical period, is often referred to as the “Father of Humanism” for his devotion to ancient literature; for this reason scholars also credit him with inspiring the Renaissance. However, his perception of the medieval period as the “Dark Ages” suggests that the ideals of the Roman world were lost during the Middle Ages, only to be rediscovered by himself and other neoclassical thinkers.

This exhibit seeks to break down the “Dark Ages” misconception and demonstrate the missing link between ancient triumphal displays and the triumphs portrayed by Petrarch and his contemporaries. Throughout the Byzantine Empire, rulers were repurposing this tradition in order to display their own imperial strength. From Constantine to Carolingians, icons of religion and kings, “triumph” played an essential role--ultimately illustrating that the threads connecting Rome to the Middle Ages existed long before Petrarch was even born. 

Come explore and compare over a thousand years of Triumphs!