Armilustrium

The Armilustrium was a festival in honor of Mars, the god of war. On this day the weapons of the soldiers were ritually purified and stored for winter. The army would be assembled and reviewed in the Circus Maximus, garlanded with flowers and the trumpets (tubae) would be played as part of the purification rites. The Romans gathered with their arms and armour on the Aventine hill, and held a procession with torches and sacrificial animals. The dancing priests of Mars known as the Salii may also have taken part in the ceremony.

Armilustrium also refers to a large open space on the Aventine hill where the festival was held.

External links

• Armilustrium (festival) in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
• Armilustrium (place) in Platner's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome