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In order to receive a triumph, the dux must:

1. Win a war against a foreign nation. Civil wars and rebellions were disqualified as they brought neither spoils, nor slaves, to the public treasure.
2. Be acclaimed as imperator (not emperor) by the legions in the field of battle.
3. Apply to the senate for the right of a triumph. At this point, internal politics and faction lobbying had an important role. There are examples of rightful triumphs refused and generals of not so successful wars granted a triumph.

The ceremony consisted of a spectacular parade, opened by the chiefs of conquered peoples (afterwards executed in the Tarquinium), followed by wagons of gold and other valuable spoils captured during the campaign (including slaves), musicians, dancers, flags drawn with scenes of the war, the legions and finally the dux. It was a concrete exhibit of the spoils brought to the patrimony of Senatus PopulusQue Romanus ( S.P.Q.R.).

The triumphator rode on a biga, a chariot pulled by two white horses. A slave behind the triumphator held a laurel crownA crown is a symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a god, for whom the crown is traditionally one of the symbols of legitimacy (See Regalia for a broader treatment). In Byzantine and European cultures, where ecclesiastical sanction authenticat over his head (not touching it). Notably, this slave had to repeat continuously "Memento homo." (Remember you are mortal). The ceremony bears many similarities to earlier Etruscan rituals.

The parade followed a precise route in the streets of RomeRome ( Italian and Latin Roma is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. It is located on the lower Tiber river, near the Mediterranean Sea, at 41°50'N, 12°15'E. The Vatican City State, a sovereign enclave within Rome, is the seat of the Roman, starting outside the Servian Walls of the city, in the Campus MartiusThe Campus Martius or Field of Mars, was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 km² (600 acres) in extent. It was dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war, and was used for pasturing horses and sheep, when it was not a focus of military training act. The triumphator would then cross the pomeriumThe pomerium (or pomoerium was the sacred boundary of the city of Rome. Legally speaking, Rome only existed within the pomerium everything beyond it was simply land belonging to Rome. Tradition maintained that it was inaugurated by Servius Tullius, but it into the city through the Via Triumphalis (which centuries later was reopened as the current Via dei Fori Imperiali) and travel along the ForumThe Roman Forum Forum Romanum was a central area of ancient Rome in which commerce, business, trading and the administration of justice took place. It is now famous for the remains, which eloquently show the use of urban spaces during the Roman Age. The t until he reached the Temple of Jupiter Optimus MaximusIn Roman mythology, Jupiter (Jove) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. He was called Jupiter Optimus Maximus as the patron deity of the Roman state, in charge of laws and social order. This article focuses on Jupiter in early Rome and in cul, where the laurels of victory were offered to the god.

To better celebrate the triumph, a monument was sometimes erected. This is the origin of the Arch of TitusThe Arch of Titus is a triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Summa Sacra Via to the west of the Forum in Rome. It was constructed shortly after the death of the emperor Titus (born AD 41, emperor 79- 81). The arch commemorates Titus' and the Arch of Constantine, not far from the Colosseum.

In the Roman Empire, only members of the Imperial family were awarded with triumphs. Other citizens were awarded with Ornamenta triumphalia (triumphal regalia).

See also: Triumphal arch