Poplifugia

The poplifugia or populifugia (Latin: "the day of the people's flight"), was a festival of Ancient Rome celebrated on July 5, according to Varro, [Varro, "On the Latin Language in 25 Books," vi. 18] in commemoration of the flight of the Romans, when the inhabitants of Ficuleae and Fidenae appeared in arms against them, shortly after the burning of the city by the Gauls; the traditional victory of the Romans, which followed, was commemorated on July 7 (called the "Nonae Caprotinae " as a feast of Juno Caprotina), and on the next day was the Vitulatio, supposed to mark the thank-offering of the pontifices for the event. Macrobius, [Macrobius, "Saturnalia," iii. 2] who wrongly places the Poplifugia on the "nones", says that it commemorated a flight before the Tuscans, while Dionysius [Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ii. 76.] refers its origin to the flight of the people when Romulus disappeared from the earth. [Joachim Marquardt, "Romische Staatsverwaltung," iii. 325.]

Notes

Reference

* "This entry incorporates public domain text originally from" (eds. William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin), "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities", Albemarle Street, London. John Murray. 1890.