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The Caprotinia, or feasts of Juno Caprotina, were ancient
Roman festivals Festivals in ancient Rome were a very important part in Roman religious life during both the Republican and Imperial eras, and one of the primary features of the Roman calendar. ''Feriae'' ("holidays" in the sense of "holy days"; singula ...
which were celebrated on July 7, in favour 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.
Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...
's ''Life of
Numa Nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NUMA1'' gene. Interactions Nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 has been shown to interact with PIM1, Band 4.1, GPSM2 G-protein-signaling modulator 2, also ca ...
'' and ''Life of Camillus'' offer two possible origins for this feast, or the famous ''Nonae Caprotinae'' or '' Poplifugium''. Firstly—and, in Plutarch's opinion, most likely—it commemorates the mysterious disappearance of
Romulus Romulus () was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of these ...
during a violent thunderstorm that interrupted an assembly in the '' Palus Caprae'' ("Goats' Marsh"). Secondly, it commemorates a Roman victory by Camillus over the
Latins The Latins were originally an Italic tribe in ancient central Italy from Latium. As Roman power and colonization spread Latin culture during the Roman Republic. Latins culturally "Romanized" or "Latinized" the rest of Italy, and the word Latin ...
; according to a minor tradition, a Roman serving maid or slave dressed as a noblewomen and surrendered herself to the Latins as hostage; that night, she climbed a wild
fig-tree ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...
(''caprificus'', literally "goat-fig") and gave the Romans a torchlight signal to attack.Plutarch, The Parallel Lives, ''Life of Camillus'', 33; Loeb edition, 1914
(accessed 10 March 2017)


References


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 Ancient Roman festivals July observances {{festival-stub