The ovation (
Latin: ovatio from ovare: to rejoice) was a lesser form[1] of the
Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, pirates); or when the general conflict was resolved with little or no danger to the army itself.[2] The Ovation could also be given rather than a triumph when there were extenuating circumstances, such as when
Marcus Marcellus was given an ovation in lieu of a triumph as his army remained in Sicily and therefore was unable to cross the
pomerium.
The general celebrating the ovation did not enter the city on a biga, a chariot pulled by two white horses, as generals celebrating triumphs did, but instead rode on horseback in the
toga praetexta of a
magistrate.[3]
The honoured general also wore a wreath of
myrtle (sacred to
Venus) upon his brow, rather than the triumphal wreath of
laurel. The
Roman Senate did not precede the general, nor did soldiers usually participate in the procession.