Caprotinia

{{Short description|Ancient Roman festivals celebrated on July 7}} The '''Caprotinia''', or feasts of [[Juno (mythology)#Juno Caprotina|Juno Caprotina]], were ancient [[Roman festivals]] which were celebrated on July 7, in favor of the female slaves. During this solemnity, they ran about, beating themselves with their fists and with rods. None but women assisted in the sacrifices offered at this feast.<ref name="Festus1826">{{cite book |author=Sextus Pompeius Festus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSpMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA371 |title=M. Verrii Flacci quae extant et Sexti Pompeii Festi De verborum significatione libri xx ex editione Andreae Dacerii: ??? notis et interpretatione in usum Delphini, variis lectionibus, notis variorum, recensu editionum et codicum et indicibus locupletissimis accurate recensiti ... |publisher=curante et imprimente A. J. Valpy |year=1826 |pages=371–372 |language=La}}</ref><ref name="Plautus1896">{{cite book |author=Titus Maccius Plautus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxtDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT46 |title=Plavti Comoediae |publisher=Weidmann |year=1896 |pages=46 |language=la}}</ref>

[[Plutarch]]'s ''Life of [[Numa Pompilius|Numa]]'' and ''Life of [[Marcus Furius Camillus|Camillus]]'' offer two possible origins for this feast, or the famous ''Nonae Caprotinae'' or ''[[Poplifugia|Poplifugium]]''. Firstly—and, in Plutarch's opinion, most likely—it commemorates the mysterious disappearance of [[Romulus]] during a violent thunderstorm that interrupted an assembly in the ''[[Palus Caprae]]'' ("Goats' Marsh"). Secondly, it commemorates a Roman victory by [[Marcus Furius Camillus#The Gauls and the Second Foundation of Rome|Camillus]] over the [[Latins (Italic tribe)|Latins]]; according to a minor tradition, a Roman serving maid or slave dressed as a noblewoman and surrendered herself to the Latins as hostage; that night, she climbed a wild [[ficus|fig-tree]] (''caprificus'', literally "goat-fig") and gave the Romans a torchlight signal to attack.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Plutarch |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/camillus*.html |title=The Parallel Lives |work= |publisher=[[Loeb Classical Library]] |year=1914 |pages=181 |language=en |translator-last=Perrin |translator-first=Bernadotte |chapter=Life of Camillus}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reference== * Drossart, Paul. « Nonae Caprotinae » : La fausse capture des Aurores. In: Revue de l'histoire des religions, tome 185, n°2, 1974. pp. 129–139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/rhr.1974.10134 ; www.persee.fr/doc/rhr_0035-1423_1974_num_185_2_10134

[[Category:Ancient Roman festivals]] [[Category:July observances]]