Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Sabines, and the surrender of Collatia.

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus was the legendary fifth king of Rome and the first representative of the Etruscan dynasty on the Roman throne. The cognomen Priscus, meaning "Old" or "Elder" in Latin, became established in ancient sources to distinguish him from Tarquinius Superbus, who would later ascend the throne. He reigned for approximately thirty-eight years. His wife was Tanaquil, renowned for her gift of prophecy. Tarquinius expanded Rome through military conquest; constructed enduring infrastructure such as the Circus Maximus and the Cloaca Maxima; reorganised state institutions including the Senate and the army; celebrated Rome's first triumphal procession (triumphus); and introduced numerous Etruscan civil and military symbols into Roman tradition—most notably the fasces, the curule seat, the toga praetexta, and the paludamentum.