In the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity, the ''adventus'' () was a ceremony held to celebrate the arrival () at a city of a Roman emperor or other dignitaries. The imperial ''adventus'' was the period's "ceremonial ''par excellence''", celebrating both the emperor's arrival and the blessing of the imperial presence itself on the city's security. The term is also used to refer to artistic depictions (usually in relief sculpture, including coins) of such ceremonies. The city would be decorated for the occasion, a public procession would come out of the city to meet and welcome the honorand on the road, and after ritually escorting them into town, a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

would be delivered in their honour, followed by a festival and games. Its 'opposite' was the ''

profectio The ''profectio'' ("setting forth") was the ceremonial departure of a Roman consul, consul in his guise as a general in Roman Republic, Republican Rome, and of an Roman emperor, emperor during the Roman Empire, Imperial era. It was a conventional s ...

''. Besides the emperors, governors of the Roman provinces and

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

could be received by an ''adventus''. L'ingresso di Gesù a Gerusalemme Codex Purpureus Rossanensis

For an emperor, especially one having newly acceded or usurped power, celebrating an ''adventus'' confirmed the legitimacy of the ruler, demonstrating the consent () of the governed city's people, and the events were reproduced and symbolized in imperial iconography and art. From the time of

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

's () arrival in Rome after defeating his rival '' Augustus''

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

() at the

Battle of the Milvian Bridge The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the pa ...

, the ''adventus'' ceremonies of the emperors took on characteristics of the Roman triumph and were associated with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

described in the

gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

of the New Testament. Christian relics were sometimes also honoured with an ''adventus'' ceremony during a translation to a city. The two major elements of the ''adventus'' were the rituals of and . The ( or ) consisted of the ritual procession to meet the approaching honorand on the road; the size, composition, and distance from the city of the welcoming party was determined by the guest's rank and status. Then, the was the festive escort of the honorand into the city. The delivery of panegyric in honour of the occasion and in praise of the arrival was an enduring fixture, as were acclamations, hymns, poetry, music, lights, decorations and incense. Religious shrines would be visited ''en route'', and afterwards a banquet was probably held. For comparable ceremonies in Medieval and

Early Modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

, sometimes employing consciously 'Roman' iconology, see royal entry.

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Panel Reliefs of Marcus Aurelius and Roman Imperial Iconography
Processions in ancient Rome Roman Empire sculptures Military of ancient Rome Ceremonies {{AncientRome-stub

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