Agonalia
Sign in to saveAlso known as Agonia, Agonium, Agonium Martiale
An Agonalia or Agonia was an obscure archaic religious observance celebrated in ancient Rome several times a year, in honor of various divinities. Its institution, like that of other religious rites and ceremonies, was attributed to Numa Pompilius, the semi-legendary second king of Rome. Ancient calendars indicate that it was celebrated regularly on January 9, May 21, and December 11.
Key facts
- Holiday.holiday_name
- Agonalia
- Holiday.type
- pagan
- Holiday.longtype
- Classical Roman religion
- Holiday.nickname
- Agonia
- Holiday.observedby
- Roman Republic,Roman Empire
- Holiday.date
- January 9May 21December 11
- Holiday.observances
- animal sacrifice
- Holiday.frequency
- thrice per year
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- religious holiday
- Dedicated to
- Janus
Show 2 more facts
- day in year for periodic occurrence
- December 11
- described by source
- Pauly–Wissowa
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Purpose
- Etymology
- January 9
- December 11
- ''Agonium Martiale''
- Notes
- References
An Agonalia or Agonia was an obscure archaic religious observance celebrated in ancient Rome several times a year, in honor of various divinities. Its institution, like that of other religious rites and ceremonies, was attributed to Numa Pompilius, the semi-legendary second king of Rome. Ancient calendars indicate that it was celebrated regularly on January 9, May 21, and December 11.
A festival called Agonia or Agonium Martiale, in honor of Mars, was celebrated March 17, the same day as the Liberalia, during a prolonged "war festival" that marked the beginning of the season for military campaigning and agriculture.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Agonalia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.