concept
driving of the nail
also: clavi figendi, clauum pangat
An archaic expiatory rite: on the Ides of September the chief magistrate drove a nail into the temple of Jupiter—originally a year-count—revived under a dictator to allay pestilence.
Reading notes
- The History of Rome, Book 7 §3 praetor maximus
The chief magistrate, who by the archaic law drove the year-nail on the Ides of September.